The Cage
by ShadowedPoeticSoul
Summary: When a beautiful soft spoken servant to the queen is tasked to attend to the recently incarcerated youngest Prince of Asgard, she is quickly pulled into a world of lust and desire that she could have never prepared for. Submission and control become words that she becomes desperate to understand and love becomes a force too strong for her to handle. Reloaded/Revamped/NewChapters!
1. Chapter One

_**Chapter One: A Mother's Unintentional Mistake**_

_**Seraphina**_

My heart pounded violently against the delicate walls of my chest as I stood just a few small steps away from the breathtakingly beautiful Queen of Asgard, and attempted to make sense of the words that she had just so recently spoken. My head immediately began to spin after her seemingly simple request had left her perfectly painted crimson lips, and even though I could easily comprehend each single word that still hung heavy in the air around me, for some reason I could not seem to put them all together inside of my mind. The question that I had obviously just imagined being asked sounded as if it had to have been directed toward someone other than myself, and even though I knew that I was the only other person standing in the room alongside of her, I still could not believe that she was actually speaking to me. It had only been just under a year since I had first entered my service to the Royal Family of Asgard, and even less time than that since I had been solely dedicated to the most elegant queen. There was no logical explanation for exactly as to why I would have been entrusted with such a delicate matter so early on in my employ, and the fact that I didn't know how exactly to phrase my concern to the queen made me feel idiotic, and completely unworthy of my station. Finally, after many silent moments of personal contemplation and self-flagellation, I finally lifted my eyes back up toward the soft blue stare of Queen Frigga as I slowly gained the courage to eventually part my now incredibly dry feeling lips.

"I apologize, My Queen, but I believe that I must have misheard what it is that you have asked of me. Could you please repeat the task that you wish for me to complete?" I stuttered out without the slightest semblance of grace as I swallowed thickly inside of my painfully dry throat, and then narrowed my gaze toward the angelic appearing woman standing before me. Queen Frigga smiled warmly as she took a small step in my direction, and then carefully licked her lips as she folded her hands just at the small of her long slim back.

"Seraphina, I believe that we both are very well aware that you heard me quite clearly, but that my request has so obviously put your nerves on edge. May I ask you what about the task that I have requested of you causes you to worry so?" Queen Frigga asked as her eyes stayed fixed intently on mine even though she continued to gracefully move about the expansive beautifully decorated room surrounding us. I swallowed thickly fearing that she was now angry with me due to my foolish hesitance, but I forced myself to answer her question just the same.

"I do not worry, My Queen. It is just that I fear…that possibly I am not the correct person for such an important task. I would be sick with myself if I were ever to let you down." I answered quickly as I dropped my eyes down to the floor just beneath my feet and reminded myself of my mother's advice that one should always take ownership of their faults when dealing with the aristocracy. I heard the queen sigh from just a few steps away from me as my embarrassment immediately flooded my face, and a thin sheen of sweat quickly began to bead up onto the palms of my hands as I desperately feared what it was that she was about to say next.

"Seraphina, your mother has been in service to me since before you were born. Signy has been one of my greatest assets when it has come to keeping order in my husband's kingdom, and ever since you have come into my employ, you have followed in her footsteps quite pleasingly as well." The Queen began as I slowly lifted my eyes at the mention of my mother, and also the generous compliment that Queen Frigga had just given to us both.

"You are very diligent, thorough, and careful as you attend to your duties within Asgard's Kingdom, and your loyalty to my family has not gone unnoticed. With all of that being said and all of your other talents that you have shown so far, I also believe that you are a young woman quite capable of keeping secrets when it is most necessary. Would I be correct in that assumption, my dear?" She asked in a soft, but still slightly authoritative voice as she tilted her head toward me, and immediately appeared to search my face for any deception lying hidden beneath my expression.

"Oh of course, My Queen. I have dedicated myself completely to your service, and most importantly to you. I would never breathe a word regarding any of my work here at the palace to anyone, I swear to it." I answered quickly as I reminded myself that being one of the personal attendants to the queen was a most coveted position within my realm, and the fact that I had gained such a title at such a young age had been a blessing from the gods to say the least.

"Your dedication is more appreciated than you truly know, Seraphina, and it is also why I have called you here today. The task that I have requested of you would be a personal favor to me, and if anyone other than those that I myself have already involved were to find out about it…well that would be quite damaging to say the very least." Queen Frigga continued as she began slowly moving across the floor in front of me in a beautiful glide that caused her to appear as if she was walking on air like the very goddess that she appeared to be. I swallowed thickly once again sensing the importance of her request lingering in her suddenly urgent tone, and then I narrowed my eyes in slight suspicion.

"My Queen, if I may be so bold, does King Odin know what it is that you have asked of me?" I stuttered nervously as I quickly realized before my words had even completely left my lips that I had greatly overstepped my bounds. The queen smiled to herself as she slowly shook her head.

"My husband thinks with the mind of a king and the heart of a warrior, Seraphina. He does not concern himself with such foolish matters that require more than a simple nod of his head or a flash of his sword." She said as she lifted one of her hands up to the golden blonde curls that were beginning to fall from the elaborate design of her up drawn hair, and then appeared to magically put them all back into their rightful places with barely any movement at all.

"How will he not learn of my visits every day? The king's royal guard protect the walls of the prison and if I am seen…" I started as I felt fear quickly wash over me at the thought of meeting the wrath of King Odin so early on in my young life, but I quickly halted in my question just as Queen Frigga quickly lifted one of her hands up into the air between us, immediately silencing my fears. _You truly must learn to hold your tongue, Seraphina._

"My dear child, I would never let any harm come to you when you are doing such a favor for me. The guardsmen that patrol the prison are all well aware of my request, and they have agreed to also exercise complete discretion in this matter. All that I need from you is to report to the prison every morning before you attend to your duties to me, and to make sure that my son is alright." She said quickly as I noticed that with her last few words her breath hitched ever so slightly inside of her throat, and her eyes filled with an emotion appearing too strong for her to bear. I nodded obediently as I felt a sadness move through me that I knew was not truly my own.

"I have heard rumors that the prince will not let anyone in to see him, My Queen, and that the last man that tried…." I started as I tried to mask the fear that suddenly edged in my voice, but I knew that my attempt was completely futile in its result. The queen took a small step forward as soon as I had finished, and then she slowly met my nervous emerald eyes with her soft aquamarine orbs just before she finally spoke once again.

"My son has made some very poor decisions and because of those decisions and his incredibly impulsive actions, he will be forced to sit in the dungeons beneath the kingdom that he believes that he was born to rule for the rest of his days. Relinquishing power is not something that Loki will ever do of his own free will, and therefore he refuses to let go of the small amount of control that he has left. The prince no longer allows soldiers into his cell because he believes that they are beneath him, and no matter how much he has lost over the years, he still so desperately clings to the remains of his pride." She carefully explained as I could tell that she could not completely bring herself to acknowledge what had happened the last time that a guard had attempted to gain access to Prince Loki's cell without his permission. I took in a deep breath as I let the queen's words continue to replay slowly inside of my mind, and then I forced a polite smile onto my face.

"I would never deny a request from you, My Queen. I am completely in your service, and therefore I am in service to the entire Royal Family of Asgard. I will begin my visits to the prince first thing tomorrow morning, and I will report back to you post haste so that you are ensured of his wellbeing." I said with mock enthusiasm as I remembered that I was in no place to even attempt to argue with the Queen of Asgard, and that any hesitation on my part would only land me in far more trouble than I was truly prepared to endure.

"Oh Seraphina, thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. Loki hasn't been accepting food for the past few days and I worry so that he will soon become ill. Everything will be prepared for you to retrieve before you go to him tomorrow morning, and your kind service will most certainly not go unrewarded. I knew that I could entrust this task with you, My Dear, I just knew it." The Queen gushed as she surprisingly threw her arms around me, and then hugged me tightly to her thin swan like frame as emotion appeared to completely overwhelm her. My breath escaped me in a rush as I felt shock flood over me from the queen's sudden unexpected embrace, and then I carefully hugged her in return just before she finally released me from her incredibly affectionate hold.

"I do not mean to be difficult, My Queen, but I do have one last question if that is alright?" I asked timidly realizing immediately that I should have just left well enough alone, but knowing full well that was just simply not in my nature. Queen Frigga nodded absentmindedly as she once again began moving around the expansive room that we stood in, suddenly appearing as if she had much more important things to do than discuss anything further with me.

"Of course, what is it, My Dear?" She asked as she began plucking books from one of the many tall bookshelves lining her library walls, and then gently setting them down onto the perfectly polished writing desk that sat just beside her. I sucked in a deep breath as I pondered how exactly to word my last query, and then finally I forced myself to speak regardless if I was truly ready or not.

"If Prince Loki will not allow the royal guard to enter his cell because he believes that they are beneath him, well then why in all of the nine realms would he allow in a simple attendant of his mother's? As far as social status dictates, I fall far beneath them. Why would he accept my aide and not theirs?" I asked as I narrowed my gaze toward the queen, and then took a small step forward in completely forged confidence. Queen Frigga released a deep breath as she slowly turned back away from her bookshelf, and then she carefully lowered her gaze to mine. She smiled sweetly as she folded her hands delicately in front of her body, and then she slowly parted her lips once again.

"Over the years, my son has been accused of many things, Seraphina. He has been named a trickster, a master of deception, and even most recently a murderous monster that takes the lives of those that have been completely innocent of any crime. However, no matter what is said about my son there is one thing that he is that not even his foolish pride can seem to rival as of yet." She started as she took a step closer toward me, and appeared to be attempting to mask a smile that desperately fought to take over her thin still perfectly painted lips. I tilted my head toward her carefully in anticipation as I anxiously awaited for her to finish.

"And, what is that, My Queen?" I asked waiting for a poetic answer regarding the high moral standards that she was certain were still instilled inside of the boy that she had raised and still loved so deeply with all of her heart, but ironically that was not at all the response that I was so quickly given.

"A man." She said carefully with a slightly hesitant smile, and with those two words, I felt my heart sink quickly into the pit of my stomach just as a chill moved up from the very base of my spine. Deep in my heart I knew that the queen had absolutely no intention of putting me in harm's way, but her indication that I was going to be allowed into the most feared criminal in all of Asgard's cell based primarily on my feminine form, well that made me quite nervous no matter if he was her son or not. Unfortunately, allowing my fear to consume me in a situation where I truly had no control I knew would do nothing more than to hurt my chances of successfully completing my assigned task, and I knew better than anyone that I could not afford to disappoint the queen. Instead, I needed to swallow the anxiety that was quickly bubbling up from deep inside of me, and confidently follow my instructions just as they had been given. The next morning I would visit the queen's youngest son in the darkened dungeons of Asgard's prison, and I would be nothing but delightful when it came to attending to his needs. I would do all of this, and I would pray that I would then make it out in one piece.

Later that evening, I found myself lying wide awake in the tangled mess of my own once perfectly arranged bed sheets, and staring up at the ceiling of my chamber's as I forcefully attempted to push the fear of the day ahead of me far from my worry some young mind. I reminded myself that I had no reason at all to even slightly question the queen's request of me as she had always been incredibly kind, and that my best course of action for the night ahead of me would be to get some much needed rest. Slowly, as I began to finally drift off into a slightly fitful night's sleep, I allowed my mind to wander back to a day many months before when Prince Thor had first returned to Asgard after capturing his younger brother who had nearly destroyed a fair portion of his most beloved Midgardian realm. I remembered the oldest prince leading the younger one shackled in chains through the main square of our city like a warrior's trophy on display, and I also remembered the thick plate of metal that had sealed Prince Loki's mouth shut, causing my stomach to churn just from the barbaric sight of it. My heart had ached as I saw the shame looming behind the darkened stare of the prince that I had never even personally met before that day, and the tears that I had witnessed falling from his mother's eyes that had nearly caused a few of my own to slide down my face as well. At the time, I had been certain that there was much more to the story than what I had been told regarding Prince Loki's decent into madness which had eventually led to his imprisoned return, and I still believed that to be true even as I lay in my bed that early autumn night. There just simply was no logical explanation for as to why the prince would have resorted to such self-destructive behavior unless he had a very good reason, and the fact that our kingdom had cast him out before even attempting to understand him had left a very unpleasant taste inside of my mouth. I knew that there had to be more to the prince's fall than just the sickening rumors that flooded the inside of the kingdom's walls, and lucky for me, I just so happened to be on the verge of possibly finding out.

When morning finally came after what felt like an eternity of laying in my bed chambers pretending to be asleep, I quickly jumped from the discomfort of my modest sized bed, and immediately sped into motion. I dressed myself in my favorite cobalt blue floor length casual gown, and then I carefully twisted my long golden brown hair up into an intricate design behind my head praying that for once it would actually remain at least somewhat in its place. I splashed a bit of rose water at the base of my neck just before slipping on my most visually pleasing pair of work shoes, and then I rushed into the main portion of my house to join the rest of my family for our day's first meal. I socialized absentmindedly with my mother as I pretended that I wasn't terribly anxious about the day ahead of me that to her knowledge was just like any other, and then I quickly kissed my father goodbye just before he set off for his usual daily work at the kingdom's training halls. As soon as he was gone and my mother was otherwise occupied with my older brother, I slipped silently out of the confines of my narrow front door, and then moved hastily into the nearby forest which would eventually lead me to the palace's golden walls. I hummed softly to myself as I moved as fast as I could down the same path that I took every single morning, and then finally after what seemed like a nearly endless journey, I eventually reached my morning's first destination.

"Good morning, Kelda." I called happily with a bright smile as I moved quickly into the palace kitchen, and then back toward one of the many iceboxes lining the far wall in order to search for the package that I had been assured would be waiting there for me to retrieve.

"Good morning, Seraphina. It's awfully early for you to be in today. What brings you to us at such an unexpected hour?" The palace's head cook, and one of my dearest friends asked as she wiped a slight sheen of sweat from her pale forehead just before turning around toward where I stood, wearing her usual beautifully bright shining smile.

"Oh, I just have to pick up some food for Prince…Thor… for his training today. He will not be able to make it back to the palace in order to dine with the queen, so I was asked to pack up some nourishment in order to keep him agile." I lied shakily as I finally pulled a large basket of food from the far corner of the tallest ice box, and then began moving quickly back in the direction of the kitchen's entrance and toward my true destination.

"Oh how lucky you are, Seraphina. Nearly every maiden in the kingdom would kill to be able to visit the prince while he is training. The queen must be very pleased with you as of late to give you such a coveted task." Kelda said with a smile as she nodded her head toward me in admiration, and then brushed some of her fiery red hair away from the side of her sweat soaked face. I rolled my eyes at the once again unneeded comment regarding the oldest prince that I honestly did not find even mildly attractive, and then forced an amused smile onto my quite tensely held face.

"Ah, yes. I am sure that many of the fine young maidens in Asgard would kill to work as a servant to the royal family instead of living lives of their own outside of these shimmering golden walls." I answered sarcastically as I finally once again reached the kitchen's main entrance, and then desperately attempted to mask the intense anxiety that was quickly taking over my entire form.

"To be able to gaze upon Prince Thor while he is sparring with the other soldiers and covered in a glorious sheen of his own glistening sweat? Yes, Seraphina, they most definitely would." Kelda said as she winked playfully in my direction just before turning back to the large pot that she had previously been so diligently watching over. I rolled my eyes as I smiled just before bidding my friend a silent goodbye, and then I moved as quickly as I could out of the palace kitchen and toward the servant's back door.

My journey to the Asgard Prison was incredibly short, but more nerve wrecking than a trip through the northern mountains which as of late had been deemed nearly impossible to pass. The food basket that I carried tightly in my grasp had nearly met the earth beneath my feet more than just once due to my own nervously shaking hands, and by the time that I had finally reached the tall prison walls, I was having a hard time steadying my own uneven breath. Anxiety, fear, and the thrill of the unknown swirled around inside of me as I moved somewhat hesitantly into the large stone entrance that opened up into the main hall of the massive penitentiary, and even though I knew that I should be completely terrified of entering such a place, I couldn't help but feel a small amount of excitement coursing through my practically throbbing veins. The guards that watched me pass as I made my way quickly down toward the dimly lit dungeon carved into the earth just beneath the prison floors all nodded at me in an unspoken understanding as I moved, but no one spoke a word to me as I continued toward my quite dangerous destination. By the time that I reached the lowest level of the holding area I feared that I would not hear a single word from anyone during my entire trip through the darkness, but then just before I rounded my last corner that I was told would lead to Prince Loki's cell, I felt a strong grip suddenly catch one of my slightly shaking slender arms.

"And, what exactly do you think that you are doing, young one?" A deep and authoritative voice asked from behind me just before I quickly spun around on my heels in sudden alarm.

"I was sent here at the request of the queen. What exactly do you think that are you doing, _old one_? I asked with my last words coming out quite sarcastically as I turned around to meet the soft eyes, and flaming crimson beard of the actually incredibly kindhearted warrior known as Volstagg.

"Seraphina? You are the one that the queen has sent to attend to Prince Loki? Does your brother know that you are here? Your father?" Volstagg asked with concern immediately flooding his previously stern voice as he pulled me slightly closer toward him, and then finally dropped his grip on my now slightly tender left arm. I shook my head quickly as I raised a finger up to my lips, and then hushed his abrupt outburst before everyone in the entire realm heard his exaltation.

"Hush, please! You know that my being here cannot reach the ears of the king. No one in my family or otherwise knows that I am here, and as you know, we must keep it that way." I warned as I narrowed my eyes at one of the strongest warriors in all of the kingdom as he stared down at me as if I was his own daughter whom he had just caught committing the most devious of crimes.

"I suspected that she would send a maiden, but I had hoped that I would be wrong. How could the queen be so careless with someone so fair? How could she put you in so much danger?" Volstagg asked more to himself than to me as I stood anxiously before him awaiting him to finish so that I could actually get on with my assigned _dangerous_ task. I sighed as I took a step forward and then carefully placed one of my hands onto his thickly muscled scar covered forearm.

"The queen has her reasons, and we should never question her will. She has assured me that I am in no danger, and I have no reason to distrust her promise. Now, please escort me to Prince Loki's cell before dawn fully breaks. I have heard that the prince does not even allow anyone to get past his cell door anyhow, so please do not continue to worry yourself for what appears to be nothing." I said with a smile of reassurance as I began moving back in the direction that I had originally been travelling, and tightened my grip on the basket that I absentmindedly still held. Volstagg laughed low within his belly as he turned and began to slowly walk beside me just before knowingly nodding his head in my direction.

"Oh, he will let you in, Seraphina. The question is, will he let you out?" He asked playfully as he continued to laugh happily to himself. That was when my nerves once again came to life painfully beneath my skin, and quickly reminded me of the possibly dangerous situation that I had most recently put myself in at the request of the queen. Had I been foolish to accept a task that even one of the fiercest warriors in the land believed to be unsafe? Did the queen truly still know her son well enough to ensure my safety even after everything that he had most recently done? And lastly, why in the name of all of the nine realms was I questioning all of this now knowing full well that there was absolutely no way out of this nerve wrecking situation now that I had actually fully committed to my agreement?

After a few moments of mentally questioning the decision that I had made to adhere to the queen's will and also moving as slowly as possible toward Prince Loki's cell in order to buy even just a small amount of extra time, Volstagg finally led me to the end of the darkened hallway in which we had been travelling, and then stopped abruptly just before the last remaining cell. He released a heavy sigh as he nodded toward the glass encased imprisonment just to my right hand side, and then he crossed his thick arms over the massive expanse of his chest just before he finally spoke.

"Here we are, My Lady." Volstagg announced formally as he turned toward me slightly, and then once again nodded his head slowly. I narrowed my eyes as I looked into the clear glass cell that was embossed with thousands of golden spell bound symbols, and then I turned back toward the friend at my side in slight confusion.

"There is no one inside." I said as I once again scanned the seemingly empty cell before me for any signs of the prince just before realizing that the warrior at my side was most likely having a bit of unnecessary fun at my expense. Volstagg laughed once again as he nodded his head, and then smiled sardonically in my direction.

"Oh, he is in there, Seraphina. Prince Loki is a master of illusions, and quite skilled at deception. He will let no one see him in this way, and hasn't ever since he first arrived." He said as he stepped forward toward a small door carved into the glistening glass just to his left side, and then motioned for me to follow him.

"So, I am just to walk in unannounced? That doesn't seem proper at all. Shouldn't I ask for permission before I just enter so rudely?" I asked as I watched Volstagg begin to unlock the cell in front of him rather than take my advice and somehow at least attempt to announce my most likely unexpected arrival.

"Oh, he knows that you are here, Seraphina. We might not be able to see him, but you can be certain that the prince can see us. If he didn't want you to come in, well then he simply wouldn't allow you to come in." He said as I watched the last bolt slide out of place carefully beneath Volstagg's thick fingertips. I swallowed thickly as I turned my eyes back toward the warrior in confusion, and then uneasily cleared my throat.

"How can he just not let someone in? _He_ is the prisoner." I said trying to reassure myself that I was in fact still quite safe, and also stress the insanity of this strange situation to anyone that would listen. Volstagg laughed at my obvious naivety.

"Seraphina, this cell is locked with the strongest of steel, spelled by one of the most powerful witches in all of our realm, and wherever the prince hides inside, he is bound so that he may not even attempt to escape. Unfortunately, what even the strongest of warriors and wisest of minds have yet to figure out is how exactly to restrain Prince Loki's mind. The last guard that attempted to enter without the permission that the prince believed that he needed to have was electrocuted the second that his hand touched the door and was lifted up to Valhalla just a few days after. The fact that I am not screaming in pain before you or lying dead at your feet now that I have touched this door, well that means that he is in fact allowing you to come inside." He explained as he reached out for my hand with a kind smile, and then reassuringly nodded his head. I swallowed thickly as I carefully took Volstagg's hand and then allowed him to pull me slightly closer toward the thankfully un-electrified door before us. I took another hesitant step toward the cell before me, preparing myself to finally walk in, but then was suddenly halted by my warrior friend's hand.

"Before you enter, I would like to give you one last word of advice if I may, Seraphina. Do not believe the things that you see or hear when you are enclosed in that cell with the prince no matter how real they might seem. The queen loves her son with a mother's heart, and therefore she is blinded to the true damage that he can and has already created. She might have insured your safety when she assigned you to this task, but in the end, it is only you who can decide your fate. Be safe, child. Trust nothing." Volstagg said in an unusually serious tone as he nodded carefully toward me, and held his intense gaze tightly in on mine. I nodded in understanding as I felt my stomach tighten quickly into knots, but I could not seem to find the words to reply no matter how hard that I tried. Instead, I simply stepped past Volstagg carefully after giving him a thankful smile, and then I hesitantly walked into Prince Loki's cell.

Bright beautifully glistening lights shone down from the ceiling above my head, and immediately illuminated one of the most finely furnished cells that I had ever in my life before seen just as I heard the cell door lock tightly shut behind me. Antique appearing furniture was strewn in a calculated madness around the space that I silently stood in, and stacks of leather bound books sat on small oak table tops in perfect neatness. The clear glass case surrounding me shimmered with the beautiful magic writing that I had first witnessed on its other side just a few moments before, and the angry faces of monsters that seemed far more terrifying than even those in my darkest of dreams stared back at me from the cell's lining the opposing dungeon wall. My heartbeat began to speed up more rapidly inside of my chest as I searched the small space around me for the prisoner that I had been assured was indeed actually inside, but before I could make out the figure of the prince that I was so desperately attempting to find, a thick velvet lined voice spoke softly from the cell's other side.

"Who are you?" A slightly heavy raspy voice of a man that I still could not see asked as I quickly turned around suddenly consumed with the fear that I had sworn to myself that I would not show.

"I…My name is Seraphina, Your Highness. I was sent here by the queen." I stuttered as my voice wavered slightly from deep inside of my throat, and my eyes continued to uselessly search for the man that I still could not see no matter how hard that I tried. The soft rumble of dark laughter echoed throughout the walls surrounding me, and quickly began to push at my skin causing goose bumps to suddenly erupt over the entire expanse of my now trembling form.

"Of course you were. You appear nervous, Seraphina. I hope that I have not caused you distress so early in your visit." The Prince taunted sarcastically as his voice dropped an octave and seemed to finally snake beneath my skin seeping immediately inside of my veins. I shook my head as I gripped the basket that I had nearly forgotten that I still held tightly in my hands, and attempted to ignore the voice inside of me that suddenly begged me to leave the prince's cell immediately before things became drastically worse.

"No, My Lord, of course not. I…it is just that I cannot see you. It puts me slightly on edge." I whispered as I nearly choked on my words, and then carefully cleared my throat just before immediately straightening my stance. There was a silence, and then suddenly the glistening light above my head faded, and the prince's carefully placed illusion dropped quickly from around my anxious form.

The cell surrounding me immediately felt as cold as a late winter's day as I finally saw the space around me for what it truly was, and not the grand illusion that the prince had originally forced me to see. The furniture that I had so deeply admired only a few moments before was now broken into hundreds of small pieces and scattered across the hard floor beneath me, and was stained with a red substance that I couldn't quite clearly identify. The books that had been stacked neatly on the table tops when I had first walked in were now torn completely to shreds, and their remaining pieces were littering the cell floor as if they were disregarded garbage. Blackened marks that appeared to be from some sort of fire made jagged patterns on the cell's four walls that now felt as if they were closing in on me, and then as I turned to the opposite corner of the room, I finally took in Prince Loki himself staring back at me in complete silence.

Until that moment standing in his suddenly freezing cold cell at the request of Queen Frigga herself, I had never before been close enough to the youngest Prince of Asgard to ever actually fully admire his truly breathtaking masculine beauty. With skin as fair as the finest porcelain ever sculpted and hair darker than the latest hour of night, Prince Loki sat leaned against the wall just a few feet away from where I stood, and watched me carefully studying him with hauntingly bright ocean colored eyes. His long legs were outstretched in front of him revealing his large slightly dirtied bare feet, and the muscles just beneath his nearly perfect alabaster colored skin tightly began to flex as he appeared to hold his lean frame just slightly more tensed as my eyes continued to absentmindedly run over him. The angles of the prince's features were sharp and looked as if they had been carved from stone leaving his unreadable expression frozen onto his face, and I quickly noticed that the slightly reddened flesh of his lips was beginning to crack just as his mouth opened in order to finally address me properly.

"Do you see me now, my sweet Seraphina?" Prince Loki asked as his voice quickly brought me back to reality, and caused my skin to blush with pure embarrassment.

"Yes, My Lord, thank you." I stuttered as I swallowed thickly against the sudden dryness of my throat, and also attempted to ignore the way that the prince's eyes were roaming over my flesh causing heat to rise in my cheeks even more intensely than before.

"Why is it that you are here, My Sweet? Ensuring that I am not planning an elaborate escape?" The Prince asked as his lips curled up into a humorless smile that did not quite touch the hauntingly beautiful bluish green pools that caused my own eyes to pale immensely in comparison. I swallowed as I shook my head quickly, and then forced myself to take a step forward in a confidence that I honestly did not truly have.

"No, I am here at the request of your mother, Queen Frigga. She is very worried about you, and she has asked that I attend to you since…well since…you do not prefer the royal guard." I stuttered attempting to keep my answer as polite as possible considering the fact that I was still addressing a prince.

"You are to attend to me? How exactly do you plan on accomplishing that?" Prince Loki asked as his eyes moved over me once again causing a light uneasy feeling to settle low in my stomach, and his words to penetrate my skin immediately making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"Um…Queen Frigga heard that you have not been eating. She fears that you are ill, and so I have brought you some food from the palace." I choked out attempting to cool my cheeks as I explained my intentions the best that I could. The prince watched me carefully, and then he pushed himself slightly away from the wall that he sat leaned against, causing me to take a quick step back nearly tripping over my own feet. Prince Loki's laughter rang loudly throughout the cell around me before I was even able to completely right myself once again. _My embarrassment caused by my foolish actions was monumental._

"Relax, My Sweet. As you can see, I have been rendered harmless." He said as he slowly lifted his hands from his lap where they had rested, and displayed brightly shining handcuffs that appeared to tightly bind his hands together. I narrowed my eyes as I took a strangely brave step forward.

"Are those quite necessary, My Lord? You are in here alone, what harm could you cause?" I asked as I suddenly felt worry for the man sitting before me for some unknown reason, even though I had been nearly terrified of him only a moment before. The prince tilted his head toward me in confusion as he took in my concerned expression, and then he slowly ran his tongue over his slightly dried bottom lip.

"I'm not alone anymore, am I, Seraphina?" He asked as my name seemed to nearly drip from his tongue like a forbidden word on the lips of an innocent as he so slowly spoke it. I shuddered as I took another step forward and immediately attempted to right myself before I lost my cool once again.

"I suppose that you are correct, My Lord. May I…approach you?" I asked wanting to make sure that I did not cause any unnecessary issue with the strange man sitting before me. Prince Loki nodded carefully in response.

"Please." He said with an amused smile as he motioned with his bound hands for me to move closer. I nodded as I carefully stepped over a few pieces of broken furniture, and then stopped just as I reached the prince's side. Nervously, I lowered myself down onto the floor beside him and then smoothed out my dress onto the floor around me. The prince watched every move that I made as if committing it to his memory.

"Are you quite hungry?" I asked as I set the basket that I held down beside me feeling the intense aqua colored eyes before me beginning to burn deeply into my skin.

"Starved." The prince's velvet voice whispered as I carefully reached for the basket's lid, and as his simple word left his lips, I felt a chill move up my spine. _He is trying to intimidate you, Seraphina. Remain calm._

"Wonderful, well I have brought…" I started, but before I could finish I felt the basket in front of me gently slide away from my grasp and then move back against the wall beside Prince Loki, without so much as the touch of his hands. I swallowed as I lifted my gaze back to the prince and noticed that he was smiling to himself as he continued to so diligently watch me.

"Your…thoroughness is endearing, My Sweet, but I will eat later. Tell me, who are you to my mother?" He asked as he leaned back against the wall behind him, and then dropped his hands back down to his lap. I released a deep breath as I attempted to relax the best that I could before I gave him my answer.

"I am merely an attendant, My Lord. My mother has been in the queen's service for many years now, and I have entered her servitude as of late as well." I answered quickly as I folded my hands together properly in my lap. The prince nodded.

"Do you enjoy…serving the kingdom?" He asked carefully as his voice lowered slightly once again. I swallowed thickly as I felt my heart immediately begin to pick up speed for some unknown reason as I slowly nodded my head.

"Of course, My Lord. It is an incredible honor to be able to assist in fulfilling the needs of the queen." I answered as I caught a stray strand of material from my dress between my fingers and began twirling it nervously against my suddenly overheated skin. The prince swallowed thickly as his eyes remained on my face.

"It is rare to find a young maiden as fair as yourself that actually enjoys being at the mercy of the aristocracy. Most women your age prefer a life of frivolous social activities, and diligent searching for a husband to take care of them." He retorted as I noticed one of his hands twitch just slightly beneath his cuffs. I shrugged as I heard a muffled cry of pain coming from somewhere in the distance behind me, but I was far too nervous to even turn around to attempt to locate its origin.

"Frivolity has never interested me, My Lord. I do not wish to search for anyone to care for me either. I am quite capable of caring for myself." I answered as I dropped my eyes down to my dress, and continued toying with the fabric between my now slightly shaking fingers.

"Is my mother good to you?" The Prince asked as I could feel his eyes still heating my skin. I nodded as I kept my stare down toward my hands.

"Oh yes, My Lord. The queen is most kind." I answered quickly as I ran my tongue carefully over the swell of my bottom lip that had suddenly become painfully dry.

"Please look at me when I speak to you, Seraphina." The Prince said sternly just after I spoke, quickly reminding me who it was that I was with, and also sending a jolt of pure electricity up from deep inside of me which I truly did not understand.

"I apologize, My…" I started as I obediently lifted my head, but then just as I did, I suddenly caught the sight of deep crimson stained blood covering the bottoms of the prince's long outstretched feet. My reaction was the same as if I would have seen the queen herself bleeding before me, even though I realized much later, that it probably shouldn't have been.

"My Lord, you are bleeding. Are you hurt?" I asked as I quickly moved myself closer toward Prince Loki's casually crossed legs that were now just a few inches away from my grasp.

"I am well, I assure you." The Prince answered, his tone suddenly carrying much less humor than it had before. Unfortunately, I didn't truly listen to his answer as I quickly reached for the basket that the prince had taken from me just a few moments before, and as soon as it was within my grasp, I quickly removed one of the decanter's of water that I had packed inside.

"It appears otherwise." I said absentmindedly as I moved my body down toward the prince's feet, and then just as I reached out toward him, I quickly stopped myself just before I touched his bloodied skin. Hesitantly, I lifted my gaze and met the stormy breathtaking eyes staring back at me that seemed to hold an unknown emotion just behind their pale fire.

"I apologize, My Lord, but may I please…." I started, but I didn't know how exactly to phrase the rest of my question without it sounding completely improper. The prince stared at me for a moment, and then leaned his head back against the wall behind him as he apparently awaited the rest of my question.

"May you what, Seraphina?" He asked as his eyes remained tightly locked on mine, and his tone darkened once again. I swallowed, and for some reason my words came out without my permission or prior approval.

"May I touch you…My Lord?" I asked in a hushed voice as I stared back at the man before me whose eyes had darkened immediately at my words just as his voice had. Prince Loki swallowed thickly as I noticed his jaw tighten slightly, and all of the muscles just beneath the pale skin of his neck seemed to contract immediately after I spoke to him. I stared at the prince awaiting his answer, and then after a moment he finally silently nodded his head in my direction. I released a nervous breath, and then dropped my eyes back down to my intended work.

Carefully, I knelt before the prince's feet, and opened the decanter of water that I had earlier retrieved from his breakfast basket. I looked around for some sort of cloth to use, but unfortunately I hadn't remembered to pack one. Instead, I pulled up the bottom of my long dress without revealing any of my legs since they were tucked safely beneath me, and then I carefully wet the silk fabric with my hands. After I returned the decanter back down to the floor beside me, I gently began to wipe the dried blood from the prince's feet, and eventually revealed a multitude of nearly healed cuts from what I assumed to be the splintered wood that was strewn all over the floor around me. I delicately wiped any residual stains away from his skin, and then without thinking, I touched one of the fresher gashes with my bare hand. The blood inside of my veins immediately rushed at the contact with his seemingly electrically charged flesh, and my skin flushed from my head to my toes as my heart began to throb deep inside of my chest.

"My Lord…" I whispered as my fingers begged me to allow them to touch him just once more to test if I had just imagined the powerful charge that I had believed that I had felt, but before I could give them permission, I felt the prince quickly pull away from my touch.

"I believe that you are finished, Seraphina." He said sternly as he straightened himself where he sat, and then masked his face with a most unreadable expression. I swallowed as I nodded and then lifted my head praying that my embarrassment wasn't incredibly obvious, but deep down I was most certain that it was. The prince watched me with eyes filled with a darkness that I did not recognize, and remained completely silent as I attempted to once again pull myself together.

"Yes, of course, I apologize. Is there anything else that I can do for you?" I asked slowly as I felt myself becoming incredibly flustered as my head quickly began to spin in complete confusion. Prince Loki stared at me for a moment, and then released a heavy sigh.

"Seraphina, you just finished cleaning the bloodstained feet of the most hated criminal in all of Asgard with your bare hands and the fabric of your dress. I would say that my mother would be quite proud of you for the day, Sweet Girl." He said in a voice void of emotion and eyes filled with things that I did not understand. I nodded slowly as I pushed myself up to my knees, and then lifted my eyes back to the prince's once again.

"You are not hated, My Lord. At least not by me." I reassured as I forced a smile onto my lips, and then returned the unused water in the decanter beside me to the prince's left hand side. He watched me carefully as I finally pushed myself up to once again stand on my feet before him.

"Foolish girl, you just met me only a few moments ago, and you are here simply serving out an order to your queen. You do not know me more than you know the murderer that has been watching you with lust filled eyes ever since you first arrived, and you have absolutely no idea whether or not I am deserving of the hate that others so deeply have for me. Do not trust so quickly, Seraphina. Harm comes the quickest to those with naïve minds." The Prince said in a slightly sharp tone as he nodded slowly, and then after he grinned slightly at me one more time, he once again disappeared in front of me, and pushed the room back to its original form. I swallowed thickly as I searched for the man that I had just been speaking too, but then finally turned back around toward the shimmering glass behind me. As I moved back toward the door that I had originally entered in through, I looked up to find the murderer that the prince had spoken of staring back at me with black menacing eyes and a sickening stare. My stomach lurched as I felt fear quickly wash over me, and then before I allowed myself to worry any longer, I quickly stepped out of the cell that I had been encaged in, and back into the reality that I prayed still awaited me.


	2. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two: Waking The Beast**_

_**Loki**_

The silence of the cell surrounding me was nearly deafening as I sat as still as stone against the cold granite wall behind me, and stared back at the same black hate filled eyes that had been watching me ever since my mother's little servant had first taken her leave just a few hours before. The monstrous form of what I could only assume to be a man glared back at me with envy and malice dripping from his cold midnight colored stare, and as I found myself smiling at his idiotic rage in my usual sadistic fashion, I noticed his fingers beginning to slowly knot together into a tight fist just before he then angrily slammed them against the thick glass of his cell's incredibly dirtied outward facing wall. A low chuckle of sarcastic admiration slowly escaped my lips as I continued to watch the anger rage wildly inside of the venomous creature before me, and then as I carefully nodded my head in amused recognition, I quickly licked my slightly cracked dry lips just before I finally addressed my prison mate's incredibly childish outburst.

"She looked delicious, did she not?" I asked knowing full well that the being before me could more than see and hear me from where I sat unusually unmasked from his disgusting view, and that my strategically placed taunt would only further prove to rile his exceedingly amusing animalistic rage. The monster's chest heaved as he released a vicious barbaric breath, and then he angrily began to speak to himself in a filthy sounding language that I couldn't quite understand just before I relentlessly continued my vicious verbal attack.

"It truly is a shame that you are locked up in that cage so far away from her scent that lingers so intensely where I sit, Monster. The smell of her innocence is so utterly refreshing, and might I dare say also even just the slightest bit arousing." I continued as I watched the black eyes before me begin to burn with crimson red fire as my lascivious words appeared to assault his obviously weak mind and rip at his incredibly primal sense of idiotic pride.

"Her scent is all that lingers, Bastard Prince. Had she been sent to me, I assure you that she would not so quickly have taken her leave." The disgusting creature finally retorted in our common language with a thick accent covered in poisonous filth and hideously contemptible greed just as his thick lips curled up into a devious smile. I swallowed thickly as I felt my jaw tighten painfully beneath my skin at his childish insult, and then I locked my eyes tightly on his still darkened stare just before I finally spoke once again.

"Well, she was not sent to you, was she you hideous beast? No, she was sent to me. With that being said, if I ever see you gaze upon her in the disgusting manner in which you did while she was in my attendance earlier today, I will do much more than send another simple aneurism to your weak animalistic mind. I may be locked inside this cage, but I can undoubtedly still get to you. Do you understand me?" I asked with venom dripping from my words as I glared at the beast that stood still carefully watching me, and obviously now assessing the true danger of the situation that I presented before him. The monster remained silent for a few remaining moments as his dark eyes burned murderously into mine, and then after another heavy disgusting breath, the beastly appearing prisoner finally swallowed his pride and eventually turned away toward the other side of his cell. Rage boiled deep inside of me as I slowly leaned back against the wall behind me, and then I forcefully closed my eyes just as I felt my teeth beginning to grind tightly together, almost to the point of causing me actual pain. It felt as if I had been living in this enclosed hell for a millennia, but in reality, I knew that I had much more time ahead of me than the meager amount of time that I had already surprisingly survived. How in all of the nine realms would I not succumb completely to madness if I was actually forced to serve out the entirety of Odin's decree? How would I not become just as primal and feral as the rest of these monsters if I was left to rot inside of this cage?

It had only been a few short months since I had first been _collected_ by my blundering oaf of an older _brother_ just before I had nearly succeeded in taking reign over his beloved Midgard, but in my mind, it had been an eternity since I had last seen the outside of my cold cell walls. Having nothing more than my own company along with the remains of the few books that my mother had originally sent to me when I had first been detained was quickly driving me to the point of sheer madness, and the result of my crazed restlessness had unfortunately led me to delighting greatly in the torment of those that had been forced to surround me. The mind was a very terrifying place when it was left to its own devices, and the fact that I had been locked away with one such as mine, well it had only served to prove that point even more so than I had previously realized. My thoughts tortured me day after day as I sat locked beneath the kingdom that I knew was so rightfully mine to rule, and the repetitive chastising of the angered voices deep inside of my brain unfortunately forced me to actually have to examine the falsified life that I had so recently left behind. Memories of the brief happiness that I had once shared with my supposed family ripped at my insides like freshly sharpened daggers into exposed skin, but before I could feel the intensity of their pain too greatly, my hunger for revenge quickly swept in, and thankfully filled the deepened void that had been so carelessly left behind. Then, with every continuing second that passed as I remained forced to sit alone locked in the cage that Odin had built for me, my anger became even more so out of control than it previously had been the moment before. My desire for justice raged inside of me refusing me to allow Odin to remain in his seat of power while I rotted beneath him all just because he feared the obviously rightful King of Asgard, that in all reality, I had always been. The Golden Kingdom deserved far better than to continue to fall under the rule of such a petty and vengeful man such as that of my adoptive father, and as luck would have it, it appeared that my realm just might soon be allowed to finally get what they so rightly deserved. The gods had seemed to offer me the possibility of a way out of the prison that Odin had forced me into due to his own idiotic arrogance, and that passage way had just so happened to have been created by one of the very people that he loved the most. His most beloved Queen Frigga.

In all of the years that I had known my mother, I had never seen her give in to her own weakened desperation in such a way that she so obviously had earlier that morning. Frigga had always been kind, loving, and even slightly favoring toward me ever since I had been a small child, but the fact that she had gone to the extreme measures that she so recently had even after what I had done in Midgard, well that had undoubtedly surprised me. Of all of the supposed family and friends that I had acquired over the years, my mother had always known me the best, and had never for a single moment ever treated me as any less than her own true flesh and blood. As a young boy she had been my first playmate, my primary caretaker, and as soon as she had discovered that I possessed the power of magic, she also quickly became my most dedicated instructor. Frigga had been my confidant when I had questioned Odin's decision to turn his kingdom over to Thor what now seemed like a lifetime ago, and she had been my savior from the death that her husband had originally believed that I deserved when I first returned from Midgard depicted as the treasonous criminal that I just simply was not. However, in the brief moment that I had gazed upon my mother just before I had been sent down to my cage in the pit of Asgard's prison, I had finally seen a look of complete disappointment in her eyes that I had never before witnessed, and that I had originally taken as her finally letting me go. After everything that I had done and all of the lies that I had told over the course of my lifetime, I assumed that she had finally come to the realization that I was in fact truly a lost cause, and therefore that her favoritism and love for me would simply be no more. Earlier that morning, however, I had realized that I most certainly had been wrong in that assumption.

To send a servant to my cell in order to make sure that I was well, and to attempt to force me to eat was something that I could most definitely see my mother doing even if I had fallen out of her good graces. She had never been one to be cold or cruel, and therefore even if I had in fact greatly disappointed her, she still would never want to see me ill or worse if continued to push my own limits which in all honestly I almost always usually had. However, my mother had not just sent me a servant to attend to my needs, and ensure that my health was in fact still in good standing. No, she had sent me _her_ servant and _her_ servant had been a beautiful young maiden with caramel colored hair, and skin so fair that I could practically see her blood flowing vivaciously beneath it. Prior to sweet Seraphina's unexpected visit just a few hours before, I had made it a rule to never allow anyone into my cell in order to at least keep some semblance of control in my own life, but I had of course made an exception as soon as I had seen the young woman just as my deviously plotting mother knew that I would have. It wasn't that I was a complete monster who simply hungered for young delectable appearing flesh (even though to be completely honest, hers most certainly was), instead it was just that I had been locked away for what had felt like years, and sadly enough I desperately craved the company. And of course, since my mother knew me better than anyone else in all of the nine realms, she knew that sending the particular servant that she had would be just enough of a temptation to my loneliness in order for me to finally allow someone in. Unfortunately, even though my mother's intentions had been and undoubtedly still were completely pure in nature, I feared that she had no idea of the problem that she had just caused by giving in to the simple desperation that she so recently had experienced. She had sent an obviously easy to manipulate young girl into the cell of a man who had nothing but time on his hands, and as always, completely devious plots on his mind. _Oh, what things I could do with those delicious possibilities._

I hadn't realized exactly how long I had been carrying on inside of the obviously slightly disturbed confines of my own mind, but somewhere in the midst of my internal scheming, I had eventually fallen asleep and into the rest that I so rarely allowed myself to have. Throughout the night, my dreams were chaotic, dark, and suddenly filled with a rekindled desire to return to my rightful place on Asgard's throne. Because of this, when the morning finally did arrive, I found myself feeling even more so vengeful than I had been the night before. Deep inside I knew the immediate danger of the emotions that suddenly raged deep inside of me, but the blissfully intoxicating rush from the intensity of my anger caused me to quickly dismiss any worries that moved around inside of my head. Quickly, I began to pace my cell anxiously as if I was a lion forcefully trapped inside of his den, and even as I dropped my carefully placed veil of illusion over the small space around me, I continued to taunt the animalistic beast in the cage just across from mine. My mind was racing with plans to escape from the shadows where Odin had cast me, and as I found myself so preoccupied with my own rage, I strangely didn't even notice when the door to my cell hesitantly began to open just behind me. It wasn't until I heard the soft click of a woman's shoes on the cold hardened floor beneath my still bare feet that I finally once again returned to my rightful mind (at least somewhat), and as soon as I had, my rage quickly faded into the background just before turning into something even more dangerous than before.

Dressed in a long crimson colored casual dress and wearing just a slight amount of makeup that she had not been wearing the day before, Seraphina nervously stepped into my cell before me, and desperately searched the seemingly empty space around her for the misbehaved prince in which she had been sent to once again attend. Her long dark caramel colored hair was swept over her left shoulder and hung down in a thick braid just over the swell of her breast, and the milky white complexion of her skin appeared to glow in the poor excuse for lighting that illuminated my cell. The soft features of her face appeared slightly tensed as she continued to desperately search for me without any success, and the supple skin of her full bottom lip was trapped tightly between her teeth as she seemed to contemplate exactly what it was that she wanted to say. I smiled to myself as I leaned against the frontward facing glass wall of my cell, and as I took in the beauty before me, I couldn't help but wonder to myself if her slightly more alluring appearance had anything to do with her recent visit to me. My silent question drifted around slowly inside the confines of my mind as I continued to watch the young woman fruitlessly search my very misleading cell, and then after a few moments of contemplation, I finally smiled in great satisfaction to absolutely no one other than myself. _No, it didn't have anything to do with me. It had everything to do with me._

"Good morning, Seraphina." I said slowly in a low voice as I watched the young woman before me slightly jump at the unexpected sound of my voice, and then nervously take a step back away from where she had previously stood on slightly unsteady shaking legs.

"Good morning, My Lord. I have brought you some more food from the palace as well as some books to help occupy your mind. Are you well today?" Seraphina stuttered as she eventually turned her head over toward the space where I had sat the morning before, and then swallowed thickly inside of her throat. I smiled to myself as I reveled in her nervousness, and thoroughly relished in the intensity of her quite obvious anxiety.

"How kind of you. I am very well, and how are you?" I asked in a slightly mocking tone as I mindlessly carried on with our idiotic conversation, and continued to study my beautiful guest still completely masked from her view. Seraphina nodded slowly to herself, and then quickly tightened her grip on the basket that she desperately clutched in both of her petite hands, which immediately caused her knuckles to whiten just slightly in response. _Something about that very simple and completely innocent action drew my eyes to her immediately, and caused my muscles to twitch just slightly beneath my skin._

"It is a most glorious day. Thank you for asking, My Lord." She answered carefully as she turned quickly in my direction, obviously now moving toward the sound of my voice. I narrowed my eyes as I finally lifted my gaze up from Seraphina's hands, and then slowly licked my lips just before eventually returning my stare to her beautifully innocent appearing face.

"You have not asked to see me yet, Seraphina. Do you prefer my cell's illusion to the view that you had of me yesterday?" I asked carefully as I added a slightly sterner edge to my tone. Seraphina quickly shook her head as I noticed her breathing immediately pick up at the slight change in my demeanor. _Oh, how I so enjoyed how she reacted so strongly to me at such an early point in our acquaintance._

"Of course not, My Lord. I only assumed that if you wanted me to see you, well then you would make it so." She answered slowly as she bit down on her bottom lip once again, and appeared to then add just the slightest bit more pressure than she had been just a few moments before. I smiled as I watched her and couldn't help but once again lick my painfully dry lips. Her obedience and complete subjugation was tantalizing, and also something that I so desperately hungered to test. I had never before encountered a woman so dedicated to her service that she would speak in such a respectful manner toward an imprisoned man, even if he once had been that of royalty. Her dedication was intriguing and so obviously arousing, but I sensed there was something much more behind her mask than just simple humble adoration.

Finally after a few moments of continuing to assess the young woman before me and also admiring her delectable feminine form, I eventually found the self-control that I needed in order to pull myself out of the confines of my own now slightly obsessing darkened mind. I cleared my throat as I quickly masked my face with an expression of complete indifference, and then I slowly dropped my veil of illusion that had previously covered my cell. I grinned widely just as my magic flitted away, and then sarcastically lifted up my still tightly bound hands.

"And, it is so." I said darkly as I watched Seraphina jump slightly as soon as her eyes nervously met mine, and then happily savored the vision of the most beautiful color of crimson flush slowly begin to spread over the entirety of her beautiful flesh. I smiled as she stared up at me with wide eyes, and then nervously took a small step backward just as she forced herself to finally smile.

"Thank you, My Lord. You are most kind. Would you...?" Seraphina started to ask anxiously as she lifted the basket that she held tightly in her hands out toward me, but before she could finish, I quickly vanished the basket over to the other side of the room just before I pushed myself slowly away from my cell's cold wall.

"I prefer to eat in private." I said as I took a step closer toward Seraphina, immediately causing her to take a step backward, and then a look of fear to quickly flood the once calm waters of her soft emerald colored eyes. I smiled as I looked down at her petite form as it quickly began to shake just before I immediately stopped moving, and then I slowly tilted my head just slightly in her direction.

"Does it cause you unease that I am now standing?" I asked as I saw the fear continue to build behind her frightened young eyes, and then her full bottom lip begin to shake ever so slightly just over her chin. Seraphina shook her head quickly as she swallowed thickly once again.

"No…I…" She started, but she stopped speaking just as soon as she had started, making it obvious that she had absolutely no idea what it was that she should say in response to me. I nodded as I took another step forward and then watched as Seraphina forcefully held herself in place, and attempted to still her trembling form at the same time. I licked my lips at her obedience, and then immediately felt a familiar rush of power begin to surge through my once nearly lifeless veins.

"Well, then I must have misunderstood, and I apologize. So, how fare's my family, Seraphina? Are my mother and King Odin well?" I asked changing the subject as I could nearly taste the tension hanging in the air around me, and I knew very well that if I was left to my own devices, I would abuse that delicious tension in the span of a second. Seraphina released a slightly relieved breath at my question, and then nodded her head in reply.

"Your mother is very pleased that you are well, and she sends all of her love. She misses you very much, and…" She started enthusiastically just before I quickly raised my hand and stopped the young girl's rambling which once again quickly caused an expression of fear to move over her beautiful face.

"I did not ask how she felt in regards to me, Seraphina. I asked if she was well." I said with an edge to my voice as I locked my eyes on the pale green one's that stared nervously back at me. The color drained from Seraphina's face as I could sense that my tone slightly frightened her, and her breathing appeared to immediately pick up as a result.

"I apologize, My Lord. Yes, your mother is very well. She is as always very busy attending to the tasks of the palace, and spends a great deal of her time with the court. King Odin seems to be well also, but I do apologize, I am not in his attendance very often in order to know much of his activities." She apologized quickly as she dropped her eyes down to the floor between us, and then tangled her hands together nervously in front of her. I tightened my jaw as I slowly tilted my head to the side, and then took a very slow step forward once again.

"And, why is that?" I asked curiously. Seraphina kept her eyes down toward the floor and then shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"I am an attendant of the queen, My Lord. King Odin has many more qualified servants to attend to him than I, and in all honesty, I doubt that he even knows that I work in the palace at all." She stuttered slowly with a slightly bashful smile suddenly gracing her lips. I released a slightly uneven breath as I took in the beautiful coloring that suddenly flooded Seraphina's cheeks, and the images that moved through my mind at the sight of it caused me to take another almost involuntary step closer to her once again.

"If Odin has not noticed you, well then he is a fool." I said just as I finally stopped in my slow paces only a few inches away from where Seraphina stood, and then leaned back slightly on my heels. The young woman swallowed as she shrugged once again still staring down at the floor beneath her feet, and appeared to be attempting to steady her own erratic breaths.

"Well, as long as the kingdom is thriving as thank the gods that it is, I do not mind if anyone even sees me at all. Attention is not my concern, My Lord, only the wellbeing of the kingdom." She whispered as she began to fidget slightly where she stood. I lowered my eyes as I took another quick step forward and suddenly closed the gap that had previously existed between myself and the sweet Seraphina. I could sense her breathing immediately begin to pick up speed the second that my body neared hers, and then slowly I reached out with my bound hands and slipped my index finger just under her delicate chin. Seraphina took in a sharp breath as her skin flushed and then she slowly licked her full lips just as I carefully lifted her head up toward mine.

"I have asked you before to look at me when I speak to you. Why is it that you have such trouble with that very simple request?" I asked in a stern but soft tone as I locked my gaze on the pale green eyes staring back at me. Seraphina swallowed thickly inside of her throat, and then bit down on her bottom lip as her frame began to shake slightly harder before me.

"I am sorry, My Lord. I did not mean…." She started, but once again, I did not allow her to finish.

"I do not need your apology, and I definitely do not need another polished response that your mother has taught you from her time serving my family. All of this bowing and praise is adorable, but it is also completely fake, and I absolutely loathe facades. Now, please tell me why it is that you find it so difficult to look me in the eyes?" I asked in a clipped tone as I continued to hold Seraphina's chin just lightly with my hands, and for some reason I felt a small amount of the rage that I had felt before beginning to once again move wildly inside of me. The young woman swallowed once again, and then released a heavy breath before she finally spoke again.

"You…you make me nervous, My Lord." She stuttered just barely above a whisper. I narrowed my stare as I watched the girl in front of me force herself not to lower her eyes, and something about the way that she went against her own nature in order to adhere to my will stirred something inside of me that felt nearly impossible to control.

"What about me causes you to be nervous, Seraphina? I am bound in front of you in a cell where all of the guards can witness every move that I make. If I so much as lifted a finger to hurt you, they would have me on the ground before I had even truly begun. How could that possibly cause you distress?" I asked as I moved slightly closer causing Seraphina to lean slightly back on her heels. Her breathing was beginning to shake harder and her skin was suddenly glistening with the lightest sheen of sweat. _She looked absolutely mouthwatering._

"I mean no disrespect, My Lord, but if that were true wouldn't they be in here by now? I was told before I came in that if they saw you touch me, then they would be in here in a second. I do not believe them to be liars, so can I assume that they do not see what is now happening?" Seraphina stuttered as she released another shaky breath, and then took a slow step back obviously fearful of my response. I grinned in appreciation at the cunning mind of the woman in front of me, and then took another step toward her, immediately closing the gap that she had most recently just made.

"Oh, Sweet Girl. It appears that you are more than just a pretty face. Tell me, what do you think that they see right now if they do not see me holding your face in my hands, and standing far closer to you than they would allow? What do you think that this _liar_ has forced them to believe?" I asked as my voice dropped slightly lower, and the hunger inside of me quickly became my only focus just like a predator assessing his prey. Seraphina stepped back once again as she licked her lips, and then shrugged her shoulders still holding her eyes forcefully on mine.

"I…I imagine they see what you want them to see. Isn't that what everyone always sees?" She asked carefully and with those words my humor quickly began to fade. I could sense my eyes darken as I once again advanced on the girl in front of me, and as I saw fear settle deep within her eyes, I heard her back meet the wall just beside my cell's door. I did not appreciate people who did not know me making assumptions about me based on rumors that they had heard, and from the tone in Seraphina's frightened voice, I knew that was exactly what it was that she was doing. I could also tell by the tone in her voice, that she had quickly realized that she had just made a very large mistake in the way that she had spoken to me, but unfortunately for her it was already far too late.

"Excuse me?" I asked in a sharp tone as I finally closed every remaining inch left between Seraphina and myself, and then stared down into her terrified eyes as I felt her breath beginning to hit my face in quick pants. The young girl began to shake against me as I could tell that she was searching for something to say, but still she attempted to steady her uneven fearful breath before she answered me again.

"I am so sorry, My Lord. I didn't mean anything…." She started, but her fear was quickly consuming her and obviously making it nearly impossible for her to speak. I swallowed thickly as I tilted my head closer down toward Seraphina's, and then cleared my suddenly aching throat.

"Look at me." I whispered deeply as I noticed Seraphina's eyes had suddenly dropped down to the collar of my shirt, and not at all where I had requested them to be. Seraphina swallowed thickly as her breathing slightly faltered, and then slowly she lifted her gaze back up to meet mine.

"Anything that you think that you know about me is mostly likely garbage, and I would appreciate it if you didn't rely on it when dealing with me, Sweet Girl. No, those poor excuses for soldiers outside most certainly do not see what I am doing right now. They have no idea that I have you pressed against this wall with my hands on you when at any moment, restraints or not, I could easily do you in. Those blundering fools knew very well from the moment that my mother told them of her decree, that this was a very bad idea, but because she is the queen they obeyed her just the same. They know all too well what I am capable of, and she does not. Now, because of their inability to think with their own minds, you are locked in here with me, Seraphina. Do you still believe that the will of the kingdom is what's most important? Or are you starting to question that overly obedient little mind of yours?" I bit out as I stared down at Seraphina with cold eyes, and watched as she attempted to summon some sort of courage within herself even though she was obviously now even more terrified of me than she had been before. Seraphina swallowed as she held my gaze and then released a ragged breath.

"No matter how safe I look, they will come after me eventually, My Lord. Your mother expects me back at the palace just after breakfast, and if I do not return she will know exactly where I am. You may be able to do what you want with me right now, but right now is as long as you have." She said softly on a shaking slightly broken breath. I stared down at the sudden bravery that had moved through the young woman before me, and then tilted her head just slightly further up toward my face. A million threatening comebacks raced through my mind as I planned to thoroughly terrify the young woman before me despite my earlier plans to use her in my escape, but suddenly something stopped me. With all of the fear and terror moving through the green eyes that still stared obediently back into mine, just as I parted my lips to speak to her once again, I noticed that the young woman's eyes immediately dropped down to my mouth. Her bottom lip trembled as she stared at me and a glimpse of something much different than fear flashed through her stare. I released a breath as I felt a painful ache sink deep inside of me, and then I quickly jerked up Seraphina's head once again.

"Now is long enough." I whispered darkly, just close enough to Seraphina's mouth that I knew that she could feel my breath on her lips. I wasn't exactly sure what it was that I was now doing as two very competing urges were coursing wildly through my veins, but I was acting without thinking, of that much I was most certain. The fear in Seraphina's eyes slightly diminished as I could suddenly feel her heart beginning to pound harder against my chest and her breathing became dangerously heavy just before she spoke.

"I am sorry that I upset you, My Lord. Please forgive me." She whispered as her eyes slowly drifted back down to my lips once again, and this time they stayed there for slightly longer than they had before. The ache inside of me deepened, and my hunger roared with need, but I knew that I needed to let this girl go soon or I was going to lose everything that I was working on achieving before I had even begun to actually obtain it.

"Return to my mother, Seraphina. I suspect that it is much safer for you there." I said over the lump that had formed deep inside my throat, and just as I did, I quickly dropped the veil of illusion over my cell completely without thinking. Then once I finally found myself able to pull my stare away from Seraphina's, I slowly turned my eyes toward the cage just across from mine, and met the blackened pools of hatred that were suddenly watching me.

Now, even though the emotional outburst and sudden craving for the servant in front of me hadn't at all been planned when I had envisioned this day the night before, it suddenly appeared as if it just might aide in my devious plotting after all. The second that I locked eyes with the disgusting monster that was staring murderously back at me, I knew that my close proximity to Seraphina and the look in her eyes as she stared at me, would cause just enough damage to make this whole ordeal not a lost cause after all. The beast watching me slammed his hands against the glass and growled in pure anger as he intently watched us, and as my cell door flew open, I knew that my inevitable reward would be well worth the cost.

"Get your hands off of her now, Loki!" The Warrior Volstagg yelled from deep within his chest as he immediately drew his sword, and advanced on me quickly the second that he stepped inside of my cage. I smiled as I tilted my head toward him, and then released a very confused sounding sigh.

"But, we were just getting to know one another." I responded in an innocent voice as I remained planted firmly where I stood, and smiled slightly wider than before. Volstagg moved forward once again obviously not sharing in my slightly darkened sense of humor.

"Now, Loki!" He yelled angrily as he continued to advance on me. I chuckled slightly to myself, and then lifted my bound hands in surrender as I took a small step back. In an instant I was slammed back against the glass wall by one of the guards, and then Volstagg immediately jumped to sweet Seraphina's aide.

"Are you alright, Seraphina? Did he harm you?" He asked as he stared at Seraphina in pure concern, but sweet little Seraphina still had her eyes tightly planted on me. I smiled as I saw my victory much closer than I had originally imagined, and then nodded toward the young girl as I ran my tongue slowly over my lips.

"The warrior has spoken to you, Seraphina. Tell him of all of the damage that I have caused you." I taunted as I felt myself being pulled back in the opposite direction of my cage by three of the biggest guards that my father had at his disposal. Seraphina cleared her throat as she flushed once again, and then slowly turned back toward the warrior still standing at her side.

"I assure you that I am fine, Volstagg, thank you. Prince Loki and I were just talking. Everything is quite alright." She explained quickly as she smoothed out her dress with slightly shaking hands, and appeared to quickly attempt to pull herself together. I smiled as I could sense her eyes return back to me just as I was being pulled even further away in the opposite direction.

"Come now, let's get you back to the palace. Queen Frigga needs to hear of this. I will not allow you to continue to be put in harm's way over this devious trickster." Volstagg said as he put his arm around Seraphina and led her quickly toward my cell's door. I was not fond of the way that he held her or the way that he threatened me at the same time, but in all honestly, I had never liked that oaf to begin with so I attempted to ignore him just the same. Volstagg was not my current concern or my problem. It was the petite woman at his side who still strangely held my attention.

"Everything is fine, My Friend, I assure you. Please just let me return to my duties. Everything is fine." Seraphina soothed, and then before I could hear any more of their conversation, they both stepped out of my cell and then tightly locked the door behind them. I was quickly left with three guards who had no idea how to even begin to subdue me, and of course a handful of opportunities that I prayed I hadn't just lost.

_**Seraphina**_

Tension hung heavy in the room around me as I stood nervously fidgeting before the most elegant Queen Frigga, and silently praying that I wasn't about to be relieved of my station due to what had happened with the youngest prince just barely an hour before. The Warrior Volstagg stood beside me rambling on with anger seething from his voice as he pleaded with the queen to allow him to assign another attendant to Prince Loki's cell, and also to allow the other guards to further restrain him so that he could do no future harm. Slowly, I lifted my eyes from where they had been settled down onto the floor ahead of me, and then hesitantly met the worried ocean colored stare of the queen who was carefully watching me as I stood in complete silence. I waited patiently as Volstagg finished his very lengthy speech regarding how a fair maiden had no business being in an enclosed space with a devious trickster such as her imprisoned son, and then just as I finally released a heavy nervous breath, I finally gained the courage to speak.

"My Queen, if I may be so bold, I would like to speak on the prince's behalf." I said shakily as I quickly threaded my fingers together in front of my body, and desperately attempted to still my trembling form. Queen Frigga's eyes widened slightly as she continued to hold my stare, and then she slowly nodded her head in my direction.

"If you wish, My Dear." She said in a soft almost fearful sort of voice, and then she carefully cleared her throat. I released another breath as I nodded in recognition and then meticulously thought out what it was that I actually planned to say.

"While I am beyond grateful for the kindness and concern for my wellbeing that The Warrior Volstagg has shown, I do believe that his worry is for nothing and that this whole situation is the result of an incredibly unfortunate misunderstanding. The prince and I were merely having a conversation that became slightly intense and I fear that the guards mistook what they saw for something that it most certainly was not." I said carefully as I held my gaze tightly on the queen's and then swallowed thickly inside of my throat. I could feel Volstagg's stare come upon me immediately after my explanation had left my lips, and I felt myself tense as I awaited his inevitable reply.

"Misunderstanding, Seraphina? Loki had you cornered and was pressed against you so that you could not move! It took three of the strongest guards in the prison to get him completely away from you!" He exclaimed as he threw his massive arms up into the air and then huffed heavily under his breath. Queen Frigga tilted her head toward me in slight confusion, and then carefully narrowed her eyes.

"Is this true, Seraphina?" She asked slowly. I swallowed thickly as I searched my brain desperately for a sugar coated answer that would make this situation better, but at the same time was not a complete and total lie.

"I…I was very disrespectful to the prince, and I upset him. I spoke very brashly to him, and I even though he corrected me and told me to hold my tongue, I continued anyway against his generous warning." I choked out as I swallowed thickly waiting for Queen Frigga to dismiss me from my duties immediately for my insubordination, which brought me to the question that I suddenly had for myself that I had not truly considered before. _Why in all of the nine realms had I just practically lied for Prince Loki?_

"Seraphina! You have barely ever raised your voice in all of the years that I have known you. Do you actually expect any of us to believe that any of this is true?" Volstagg asked in complete astonishment as he stepped closer toward where I stood, and completely ignored the fact that he was having his outburst in front of the queen. Queen Frigga kept her eyes tightly on mine as she ignored the obvious disrespect taking place in front of her, and then nodded carefully toward the angry man at my side.

"Thank you for bringing this urgent matter to my attention, Volstagg. I will take care of it immediately. You are dismissed and may return to the training halls where I believe that Prince Thor is waiting for you." Queen Frigga said carefully as she finally turned her gaze from mine, and met eyes with the incredibly angry man that she spoke to. Volstagg stood silent for a moment as if he was debating pushing further, and then eventually he slowly bowed his head.

"Thank you, My Queen. You are most gracious. I do apologize if I spoke to roughly in your presence, I meant only to protect the young Seraphina, and not a single ounce of disrespect." He said in a slightly more calmed tone as I could tell that he suddenly realized he had greatly over stepped his bounds. Queen Frigga nodded as she smiled sweetly.

"I appreciate your concern, and your service." She said softly. Volstagg nodded slowly, and then after giving me a strange and still concerned look he bowed in respect once again, and then finally left the queen's royal sitting room. I released a heavy breath as I then turned back to find Queen Frigga watching me carefully with a very different look in her eyes than she had before, and then forced a small smile onto my face that I was quite certain had to look fake.

"My Queen, would you like me to begin attending to my duties for the day? I would hate to fall behind and cause you any distress just because of this mess that I have made." I said quickly attempting to change the subject at hand and also smooth over any anger that could have been brewing inside of the queen. Queen Frigga sighed as she finally pushed herself up from the large golden chair that she had been sitting in, and then gracefully rose to her feet.

"Seraphina, if I were to ask you to speak to me in complete honesty and without fear, would you be able to do that for me?" She asked as she stepped slowly toward me, and then tangled her hands together just at the small of her back. I released a shaky breath as I slowly nodded my head.

"Of course, My Queen. I would never lie to you." I said as I swallowed against the lump that had formed deep inside of my throat, and prayed that my racing pulse wasn't incredibly noticeable. The queen smiled tightly as she nodded to herself.

"You just did, my dear." She said softly. My knees buckled immediately as her words left her lips, and I felt all of the color drain from my face as a chill moved through my system. _I was in more than just trouble, I was completely doomed._

"Your Highness…" I started, but immediately as her title left my lips, Queen Frigga quickly raised her hand up into the air, and signaled me to cease in my attempted reprieve.

"Seraphina, my youngest son is very different from his older brother, and he has been ever since they were children. Where Prince Thor has been blessed with the physical strength of over a hundred men, and has been gifted with the power of a hammer crafted from a most powerful dying star, Prince Loki has always had a strength all his own that quite possibly is even fiercer than that of his brother's." She began as she paced slowly in front of me. I swallowed thickly as I nodded my head in pretend understanding.

"Yes, My Queen. I have heard of Prince Loki's magic, and I understand that it is most incredible." I said quickly as I felt my fingers slightly beginning to shake ever so slightly against the silken material of my dress. The queen nodded slowly.

"Yes, it is most incredible. It is so incredible that most do not even realize that it has happened until it is already over, and others never realize that it has ever even happened at all." She continued carefully. I swallowed as I suddenly understood her implication, and then immediately shook my head.

"Prince Loki did not spell me, My Queen. I am well aware of everything that has happened ever since yesterday when I first went to him." I defended quickly. Queen Frigga immediately stopped in her pacing and then turned back toward me as she stared at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Alright, Seraphina. I would like you to tell me what happened then." She said in a slightly stern tone. I swallowed, and then released a heavy breath.

"Yesterday when I first went to Prince Loki's cell he questioned who I was, why I was there, and who I was to you. After I explained myself, I gave him the food that you had sent with me to give him, and then I eventually noticed that he was wounded." I started as I felt my heart quickly beginning to pick up speed inside of my chest as I remembered the electric charge that I had felt both when I had touched the prince the day before, and also when he had touched me when I had been pressed against the wall of his cell just an hour before. Queen Frigga lowered her eyes to mine.

"Continue." She said quickly with slight suspicion and confusion beginning to flood her soft voice. I nodded in obedience as I quickly licked my lips.

"I asked the prince if it was alright if I…attended to the cuts on the bottoms of his feet and he so graciously allowed me. I cleaned his wounds, and then shortly after that, I left." I said as I immediately dropped my eyes down to the floor, and forcefully pushed the strangely alluring memory of having my hands on the prince from my head. I heard Queen Frigga release a slightly shaky breath.

"And, today?" She asked carefully. Once again I released a breath and carefully thought about what I should say before I actually said it. I knew that I could not completely lie to the queen as that was considered treason and punishable by prison, but I also knew that I could not further incriminate Prince Loki and risk never being able to see him again. _Wait, why did I care if I ever saw him again?_

"Today, I arrived at Prince Loki's cell just before breakfast. I greeted him and then gave him the food and books that you had sent with me, and after that he asked me how his family fared. Unfortunately, my answer did not please him and the fact that I did not look him in the eye greatly upset him. A few heated words were exchanged on both of our parts, and then even though it was not my intention, I spoke incredibly disrespectful to him which is what led to the situation that upset the guards. I understand the mistake that I have made, and I do not intend to make it again. Prince Loki did not attempt to harm me in anyway, My Queen, I assure you. He merely was attempting to help me understand my mistake. I did not mean to cause this amount of trouble." I stuttered as I immediately realized how incredibly daft I truly sounded, and then slowly lifted my eyes back up toward the queen's, praying that she didn't hear the utter insanity in my explanation as well.

"Seraphina, what is it that you are most fearful of right now? Suffering the wrath of having disrespected a Prince of Asgard or not seeing my son again tomorrow morning?" She asked as her eyes quickly once again met mine and immediately caused all of my blood to rush to my face in pure embarrassment.

"My Queen, I assure you that I have absolutely no…" I started quickly, but once again Queen Frigga lifted her elegant right hand causing me to stop my sentence immediately in its tracks.

"I am not implying anything improper, Seraphina, I assure you. I understand your plight quite well, and I do not blame you for it in any way. I am simply wondering why it is that you would quite literally come within an inch of lying to me in order to be able to see him again. Has Prince Loki threatened you?" She asked slowly. I shook my head immediately.

"No, My Queen." I answered quickly. Queen Frigga narrowed her eyes.

"Then what is it, My Darling? I understand his mysterious allure, but if what I heard about earlier this morning is actually true, even I know that his charms can only go so far." She said carefully. I swallowed thickly as I slowly locked my stare on the queen's, and then licked my painfully dry feeling lips.

"I disrespected one of the Princes of Asgard, My Queen. I simply wish to be able to apologize." I answered slowly. That answer apparently took the queen slightly off guard as her eyes widened immediately at my response. Slowly, she made her way closer toward me, and then once she reached me, she carefully took a hold of my hand.

"Alright, Seraphina. I will allow you to attend to the prince until the week's end. During that time, my son will be further restrained and therefore unable to practice the majority of his magic. After that, you will return to your duties here at the palace full time, and deliver food to the prison weekly where the guards will distribute it to my son themselves. I love my son dearly, but I refuse to put you in any danger just because I have a weak heart. If anything were to happen to you because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself for my foolishness." She said with a soft smile as she gently squeezed my hand. I smiled as I nodded slowly attempting to ignore the slight fall in my spirits knowing that I had been removed from my position so quickly, but still thankful that I had at least a few days left.

"Thank you for your compassion, My Queen. No harm that could come to me would ever be any fault of yours. I will attend to my duties, and I promise that I will do exactly as I am told." I said as I bowed slightly in respect and understanding. The queen nodded in return and then released a careful breath.

"Just please be on your watch, Seraphina. Loki has a good heart, but he has been through more recently than I could ever begin to explain. I fear that he is not himself, and as much as I hate to admit it, I do not fully understand what it is that he might be capable of." She said as her expression became slightly saddened as she finally released my hand. I nodded slowly as I took a timid step back.

"I will carry out my duties just as you have asked, My Queen, and I will be nothing but diligent and careful. Prince Loki means me no harm, of that I am most certain." I said as I bowed ever so slightly and then turned in the direction of the grand hallway just outside of the queen's sitting room. A sinking feeling began to quickly ebb at my insides as a realization immediately washed over me that caused me to feel sick to my stomach just as I finally reached the queen's door. I had just lied to the Queen of Asgard with my most recent statement, and I had absolutely no idea why, but even I myself had almost actually believed it.


	3. Chapter Three

_**Chapter Three: The Darkest Parts of Your Mind**_

_**Seraphina:**_

The pale rose colored material of my long silken spun temple gown drug heavily on the frigid ground just behind me as I walked very uneasily down the narrow darkened stone corridor of the Asgardian Prison's frightfully chilled dungeon, and moved anxiously closer toward the cell that I had been practically dragged away from just the morning before. My heart pounded roughly inside of my chest as I mentally rehearsed the formal speech that I had planned out inside of my head the evening before to give as my meager, but still deeply heartfelt apology to Prince Loki for the trouble that I had quite certainly unknowingly caused him, and my hands shook violently against the splintery wicker threading of the basket that I once again so dutifully held. My thoughts had not given me a single moment's peace since the last time that I had laid my eyes upon the youngest Prince of Asgard's breathtakingly beautiful face, and the fact that I could not seem to shake him from my now slightly obsessing young mind, well it caused me great unease to say the very least. I had no idea why it was that I felt so incredibly drawn to the man who I had merely just met only a few days before after going to him at the desperate request of his heartbroken mother, but I did know that suddenly it felt as if he was now involved in every single deliberation that left my obviously crazed (and incredibly naïve) mind. For the past three nights, I had prayed to the gods that my slight mental infatuation with the youngest prince was just simply due to his incredibly important royal station, and that my fear of what he was possibly capable of was also what caused me to think of him nearly every minute that I so happened to be awake, but deep inside of myself I knew far better than to actually believe my own foolish lies. There was just something far deeper and more significant than Prince Loki's formal title or his incalculable amount of power that hid just beneath his beautiful surface that seemed to lead me back to him morning after morning, and even though I wasn't quite certain of what it was exactly that lay concealed there, I knew that it was far more powerful than anything that I myself could ever possibly imagine. I also knew that it felt as if I wanted and honestly needed what the prince was so diligently hiding far more than anything else that I had ever longed for ever before.

"Child, please tell me that I have fallen under some sort of spell of sorcery, and that I am not truly seeing that you are once again here behind these darkened walls. Please tell me that you are far wiser, even considering your short number of years and incredible lack of experience, than to come back to a place that yesterday you barely escaped from alive." I suddenly heard the concerned sounding voice of The Warrior Volstagg say from somewhere just to my left hand side as I slowly turned in his direction and then pulled my thoughts back to the reality that I currently stood in, and away from my incredibly foolish daydreaming mind.

"I did not just barely escape, My Friend, because there was never any need for me to have to escape at all. I explained to you already that you misunderstood what it was that you thought that you saw yesterday, and that the prince meant me absolutely no harm. Why is it that you will not simply just believe these truths that I am saying to you?" I asked in an exasperated tone as I narrowed my eyes slightly in my friend's direction, and then carefully allowed myself to peer just over Volstagg's massive shoulder in an attempt to catch a glance of Prince Loki's cell, but I quickly realized that I was still just a little too far away to clearly once again gain sight of it.

"I will not believe your _truths_, because your words are complete and total lies. Loki had his filthy devious hands all over you yesterday morning, and the way that he had you cornered, well it would have been impossible for you to escape had you tried. I think that the young prince has been messing with your mind, Child, and I think that he is tempting you to believe things that even you know deep down can't possibly be true. Because of that, and far too many other reasons for me to even begin to count, I think that it is now time for you to return to the palace and allow us to deal with Prince Loki alone. The prison dungeons are no place for a beautiful young girl such as yourself." Volstagg answered as he slowly began reaching for the basket that I still held tightly in my hands, but before he gained a decent grip, I pulled the basket roughly away from his thick fisted grasp. My friend narrowed his eyes at me in what appeared to be slight anger as he pressed his lips together into a hard line, and then he tilted his head just slightly to one side.

"It is not time for me to return to the palace, because I still have my duties to attend to here that were ordered by the queen. I was told that I am to continue to attend to the prince until the week's end, and then after that I am to end my service and return to her side. You are a dear friend to me Volstagg, but I will not ignore an order from the throne in order to appease you, and I will not believe my own thoughts to be lies just because you tell me to." I said quickly and unusually also quite sternly as I began moving forward once again toward Prince Loki's polished glass cell, but then I was swiftly halted once again as Volstagg brought one of his large hands down gently onto the top of one of my petite shoulders.

"You are playing with fire, Young One, and deep inside of your heart, I believe that you know that. The young prince is not a soul that you can save or a broken plaything of the queen's that you can fix and then return it to her so that you are even more pleasingly in her favor. Loki is a troubled man who is obsessed with what he views as justified vengeance, and I fear that he might not have much of a soul left to speak of at all. Anything that he has said to you to cause you to feel so compassionately toward him was most likely nothing more than a lie, and anything that he has forced you to feel, well that was nothing more than a meticulously fabricated illusion." He said as he watched me carefully as he so intensely spoke to me, and then nodded his head slowly just after he had finished in his reply. I pressed my lips together tightly as I ground my teeth painfully against each other in what felt like intense anger which I so rarely ever experienced, and then I shrugged off the grip that the warrior had on me as I began to slowly turn toward his other side.

"I am not trying to save or fix anything or anyone, Volstagg. I am simply attempting to do well in my assigned endeavor, that might I remind you yet again, was put forth by the most glorious queen. Now, if you will please excuse me I need to attend to the prince so that I may move on with the rest of my day. I have many more royal duties that are expected of me than those that simply lay behind these stone carved walls." I said sardonically as I tightened my tone and began moving even faster in my intended direction than I had been before. Volstagg turned in the same direction as he nodded his head slowly appearing to take in my words, and then he quickly took his place beside me as I continued to so hastily move.

"Well, I would not want to interfere with your very important day simply because I fear for your wellbeing, Seraphina. How foolish of me to allow my affections and concerns for you to get in the way of you completing your royal work." My friend said sarcastically as he smiled brightly from my side, and slowly he began to ebb away at the anger that I had felt toward him only a few moments before just with the expression on his face, and the newfound lightness in his tone. I smiled as I shook my head at Volstagg's playful words, but I still did not raise my gaze to completely meet his just yet.

"Volstagg, you must know that I appreciate your caring for me more than any words could ever possibly explain, but you must also know that I am a woman now and no longer a helpless child. I can handle myself even in the presence of Prince Loki, and I still honestly do believe that his intentions toward me contain absolutely no malice at all. Please understand why I must finish the task that I have started, and why this particular avocation means so much to the queen. I am not doing this for my own satisfaction or to appear more favorable in the eyes of the throne. I am doing this to help somehow mend a mother's broken heart…Queen Frigga's broken heart." I said as I finally turned my gaze to the man now standing silently at my side just after we had once again ceased in moving, and then I smiled as I attempted to somehow reassure him that I could handle the challenges that lay ahead of me in this great task. Volstagg finally sighed in what appeared to be a small amount of defeat as we once again resumed in our walking, and then he slowly once again nodded his head.

"It is hard for me to see you as the strong woman that you are now, when it feels like only a short time ago, I held you as a babe gently in my arms. So many of my years I have spent off fighting in battle in the name of this most glorious realm, and that time at war has made it nearly impossible for me to start a family of my own. Being as close of a compatriot as I am to your father, I must admit that I have always thought of you as the precious daughter that the gods have yet to bless me myself to have. I know in my heart that you are strong enough to handle the prince, Seraphina, and that you are certainly smart enough to see through his many lies, but you have to understand my hesitance and worry. I would hate myself if anything were to happen to you as I just stood idly by without doing everything in my power to stop it, and I suspect that your father would most certainly hate me too." He answered as he smiled softly and then began to once again slow just slightly in his pace. I nodded as I smiled suddenly feeling the warmth of my friend's words that I rarely ever got to hear out loud, and then I released a breath as I finally slowed my stride in order to match his as well.

"Your words warm my heart, My Friend, and I thank you for so kindly sharing them. Please be assured that I am quite safe in the duties that I attend to, and that everything will be just fine come the end of the day." I said as I smiled softly and then nodded carefully just as Volstagg finally completely stopped walking for the last time. My friend smiled as he shrugged his broad shoulders slightly, and then he nodded back toward the cell that I had yet to look toward, that sat just to my right hand side.

"Well, I don't know if I would agree that you are quite safe when it comes to the duties that you are being forced to attend to, but I would say that you are much safer than you were before. Queen Frigga ordered yesterday just after noon had passed that the young prince was to be further restrained during the remainder of your visits, and that he was to be watched with a most cautious eye. I do believe that the guards took a few liberties with her request as they happily appeared to so diligently adhere to it." Volstagg said with a slightly appreciative smile as he nodded toward Prince Loki's cell once again, and then he quickly licked his thick reddish hued lips. I narrowed my eyes in slight confusion at what my friend had possibly just meant, and then slowly I turned my eyes in the direction in which he was now so gleefully staring. It felt as if my heart dropped from my chest and plummeted into the lowest pit of my stomach the second that my eyes gazed upon the golden embossed glass cell before me as I stood frozen in what I could only imagine to be a state of complete shock. My breathing became trapped inside of my chest as I attempted to formulate the words that I so desperately wanted to speak out loud, but no matter how hard that I tried, they unfortunately remained locked deep inside of the confines of my throat. The only sound that I could clearly hear was my own incredibly labored breathing, and the only vision that I could completely take in was the absolute horror that lay out in front of me. The only person that I could clearly see…was_him._

The frigid darkened dungeon that lay all around me suddenly melted away as I stood on the cold stone of the Asgardian Prison's painfully hard floor, and stared blankly back at the disgusting vision that now appeared so vividly before me. There, just a few feet away from my touch behind the thick restrictive glass walls of his cell sat who I assumed to be Prince Loki, but who in regular circumstances I would have never been able to recognize due to his current nearly disfigured appearing state. My heart slammed against my chest as I felt the air around me suddenly become far too thick to even attempt to take in, and my lungs contracted painfully as my eyes quickly focused in on the massive amount of crimson blood that now covered the youngest prince's once grey tinted cell floor. Bruises, cuts, and bright traces of his own life force defaced the still somehow strangely beautiful expanse of Prince Loki's tattered skin, and a look of sheer agony exuded from his once bright shining ocean colored eyes in almost a silent admittance of defeat. Unfortunately, however, it was not the appearance of defeat or the expression of pain pouring from Prince Loki's beautiful eyes that was the most horrific sight that I took in as I stood there helpless on the other side of the cage that King Odin had put him in. No, the most disgusting vision that I took in was the silver plated muzzle that had been forced tightly over the young prince's lips yet again, and what was so obviously straining his already painfully tightened masculine jaw. It was the same disgusting piece of metal that he had worn on the day when he had first been brought home in chains after the mess that he had created in Midgard. The same piece of metal that had been sanctioned originally by The Mighty Prince Thor.

"My friend, what have the guards done? What in the name of King Odin have they done?" I stuttered out painfully as if attempting to wake myself from a terrifying nightmare that I currently felt trapped in, and then I shook my head quickly as if the vision before me might change if I jostled loose the distortion that possibly clouded my so obviously deluded view.

"Do not overreact, Seraphina, I assure you that the prince is quite well. The guards simply subdued him so that he could no longer threaten to cause you the harm that the rest of us know him to be quite capable of. Trust me, Loki is far stronger than he looks, and most of this is just for show." Volstagg answered with a laugh just edging at the end of his words as he moved slightly closer toward the prince's cell, and subsequently also closer toward me.

"I am not overreacting, and as I have said more times that I can count, the prince has never attempted to cause me any harm! Do not lie to me and tell me that he is well as he practically lays unconscious posted up against that cold stone wall! He appears close to death as I look upon him now, when yesterday he was quite filled with life. Open the door this instant, and let me go inside. I cannot believe that you would allow something as barbaric as this to happen to him. That you would allow something like this to happen to your prince." I began rambling in angry exalted words as I began gripping the basket that I held so tightly that it began to actually hurt me as the wicker threading dug painfully into my skin, and then I quickly moved closer toward the door of Prince Loki's cell. Volstagg nodded as he finally reached the cell's door alongside of me, but his expression told me that he most certainly thought me to be incredibly silly for my intense reaction.

"He is no prince of mine, Seraphina, and he is far from death. Never let looks deceive you child, there is a trickster in your midst." My friend riddled as he smiled playfully, but I was now far from being in a gaming mood. As soon as I heard the last steel bolt release from the door in front of me, I quickly moved past the warrior at my side, and then I rushed frantically into Prince Loki's freezing cold cell.

The second that I first entered the cell of the man who had somehow pushed his way forcefully into my world just a few days before, I realized that my friend had been completely correct in his previous statement, and that looks most definitely could in fact be quite deceiving. The room around me seemed far emptier than it had when I had originally viewed it from outside of its dank walls, and the air that suddenly inhabited my lungs seemed frightfully colder than any of the other mornings that I had stood in it. The bruises, the cuts, and the trails of crimson red blood that I had first viewed from the outside hall all now seemed much more graphic than they had before, and the gashes that opened Prince Loki's once pristine porcelain skin, now all appeared far deeper than they had seemed only moments before. My heart ached painfully as I finally lifted my gaze to the man that was staring back at me with cold and distant appearing eyes, and my lungs cried out for air as I found myself almost completely unable once again to successfully breathe. Loki's dark midnight colored hair lay matted against the side of his perfectly sculpted cheek by a mixture of sweat and his own precious blood, and the bridge of his once perfectly symmetrical nose now appeared to be broken and was stained with the essence that had once flowed primarily inside of his veins. My stomach churned as I unwillingly took in the image that I prayed was just an illusion that had been jokingly lain out before me, but as I felt my eyes begin to fill with unwanted tears, I knew deep inside that I was most certainly dealing instead with a very disgusting form of reality. Finally, after far too many silent moments of staring in shock at the man sitting before me, I eventually swallowed the lump that had formed deep inside of my throat, and then I desperately attempted to finally speak.

"My Lord, what have they done to you?" I whispered as I took a few small steps closer toward where Prince Loki sat leaned up against the cold wall behind him completely without thinking of my actions, but then reluctantly forced myself to stop as I decided that it was most likely best not to advance on a man such as him so incredibly quickly in his current state. Prince Loki kept his eyes on me as he carefully watched me so ungracefully move before him, but he made no sound or distinguishable body movements that would in any way honestly reveal the true extent of the pain that he was feeling. Instead, he sat still as stone like a frozen statue that would be worshipped in one of the grand halls of our kingdom's temple, and he stared back at me with completely emotionless pale aquamarine eyes.

"I am so sorry for any pain that I have caused you, My Prince. I spoke to your mother yesterday just after I took my leave from you. I told her that everything that Volstagg had told her had been due to a complete misunderstanding, and I told her that it was I who had upset you. She spoke to me with kind words and she said that she understood my reasons, and she believed what I said to be the truth. How could the guards have done this to the son of the righteous King Odin? How could they have done this to a man…a man such as you?" I questioned out loud as I prayed that the prince would forgive me for my transgressions, and that he would somehow understand that this was not in any way what I would have wanted to happen to him regardless of anything that he had or hadn't done to me. Prince Loki stared at me as I felt tears beginning to burn in my eyes at my heartfelt confessions, and then slowly he lifted his bound wrists from his lap and motioned for me to come to his side. _My heart came to life inside of my chest, and my lungs once again filled with the oxygen that they needed so desperately to survive._

I did not speak, and for once I did not even hesitate. The second that Prince Loki lifted his hands up toward me, my body immediately sped into motion, and before I realized that I had even taken my first step, I was standing just before his long outstretched legs. Carefully, I swallowed the lump that had formed deep inside of my throat once again, and then finally I allowed myself to sink down to my knees just to the left side of one of the young prince's arms. The silence that surrounded us was almost palpable as I stared into the ocean colored eyes of the man sitting before me in what I could only imagine to be an immense amount of pain, and the air around me suddenly felt incredibly thin and seemed to taste almost sweet behind my lips as I so indulgently tasted it. My heart pounded and my blood rushed violently through my fragile veins as I waited for Prince Loki to do something…anything in regards to my presence before him, but as I continued to wait in silence, I quickly realized that it was I who needed to make some sort of move in order to break the intense unease. So incredibly slowly and very hesitantly, I finally reached out one of my hands toward Prince Loki's bound wrists, and then carefully I slid my fingers into the palm of one of his large bloodied hands.

"They can see us for what we are this time. Am I correct in that assumption, My Lord?" I asked as I moved my body to the side just slightly so that I angled myself in a way that would slightly obstruct the guards view. Prince Loki nodded his head slowly in answer to my question, and then I felt his fingertips move very gently over the tender expanse of the inside of my wrist, causing my skin to begin to heat immediately beneath his rough hand.

"I am so sorry for all of this, My Lord. My intention was never for anyone to harm you, and I am so sick with myself for all of the pain that I have caused you. Is there anything that I can do for you that would make this horrible matter any better? Anything that I can fetch for you or anyone that I can summon to you?" I asked desperately thinking that maybe in a situation such as this, Prince Loki's brother could even possibly be of some assistance seeing as I did know that deep down they did still love each other, and even as barbaric as the older prince was, he still would never intentionally hurt Loki just for the sport of it. The silence around me seemed to grow even quieter as Prince Loki suddenly stared at me with strange and almost wild eyes, and then slowly he nodded his head and twitched his hand just barely an inch beneath his painful appearing cuffs. No noise was made, but I instantly felt as if everything around me had suddenly changed.

"They cannot see us now, can they, My Lord?" I asked as I found myself almost slightly smiling as the deviousness of the man sitting before me once again began to intrigue me, and the danger of the situation actually began to slightly excite me just a bit. Prince Loki shook his head slowly as he kept his eyes tightly on mine, and I could tell that the expression on my face slightly amused him, even though he wasn't able to show it beneath the restrictions of his mask. I swallowed thickly as I ran my fingertips slowly over the blood stained length of Prince Loki's hand and then I watched silently as he took in a very labored appearing breath before me.

"What is it that I can do to make this better? Show me in some way…any way, how it is that I can help you." I whispered softly as I gripped Prince Loki's hands tighter in mine, and stared intensely into his beautiful breathtaking eyes as I searched for any hint of what he wanted from behind their stormy superficial guise. The youngest prince stared at me as if he was taking in my question word by word in its entirety, and then slowly he moved his hands carefully away from mine. A few seconds later, Prince Loki lifted his cuffed grip into the air before me, and then incredibly gently, he touched his hands against each side of my face. He stared into my eyes as his gaze turned into the most beautiful blaze of pure emerald fire, and then as if he was suddenly a magnetically charged force field, he sucked me in before I even felt that I was given the option to attempt to stop him.

It could have been seconds or it could have been hours, but for a moment in time that felt completely immeasurable, I sat staring into Prince Loki's eyes lost in a sea of green and blue. My heart pounded, my blood rushed, and my lungs contracted tightly within my chest as the dark young prince held me, and suddenly said more to me in silence than I had ever heard anyone ever say with mere words out loud. My mind began to swirl in a whirlwind of confusion as thoughts entered my mind that I had never before had myself, and secrets that I had always kept deeply hidden, suddenly were so freely shared. My private memories flashed before my eyes as it felt as if the prince was ever so gently combing through my psyche as if looking for something that he so desperately needed to find, and reassuring words were being spoken by his soft penetrating voice as if to tell me that this strange invasion was completely alright. Suddenly, the storm inside of my mind began to quicken and a completely maddening chaos that I had never before experienced immediately began to sweep in. Everything began moving faster around me as I attempted to hold onto anything around me that seemed to be real, but before I could grasp anything, it felt as if the entire experience simply melted away or never actually even happened at all. Before I knew it I was simply just sitting silently in front of Prince Loki as I had been just a few moments before, and the prince was staring back at me with his hands neatly folded against his cuffs inside of his lap. I swallowed thickly as I ran my tongue over my now painfully dry lips, and then I forced myself to find the will to somehow speak even though the task felt nearly impossible to achieve.

"My Lord…" I whispered finding myself at a complete loss for words as I continued staring into the prince's beautiful ocean colored eyes, and also finding myself still completely lost in my now completely chaotic overworked mind.

_Go now, Sweet Seraphina. My magic is weak behind these walls, and before long, I will not be able to keep you safe._ I heard a velvet lined voice say softly from what felt like the inside of my mind, and at that realization, I felt my heart drop deeply inside of my chest in the span of a mere second.

"What did you…? How can I…?" I questioned out loud as I stared back into Prince Loki's still completely entrancing bluish green eyes, and then I dropped my gaze to the metal plate that still covered his lips. The fact that I had heard his voice made absolutely no sense to me at all. None of this made absolutely any sense to me at all.

_Go, Seraphina, now._ Prince Loki suddenly demanded in a much more authoritative tone inside of my head, and at that I finally decided to move. Slowly, I pushed myself up barely able to find my own footing, and then carefully I moved across the cold stone floor of Prince Loki's cell and toward the shining glass door from which I had originally came. I stared at the prince as I hesitantly moved closer toward the outside hall just as the door finally began to open behind me, and then I released a breath as I suddenly found my mind again once on the cold glass door's even colder other side. Once my mind had been found, apparently so had my rage. _I was suddenly more than prepared for a fight._

"Where are the guards who are responsible for this completely oafish display of barbaric violence?" I asked in anger the second that I heard the cell door close behind me, and Volstagg then tightly secure the locks once again. The guards that lined the prison's hall stared back at me in confusion for a moment as they didn't seem to be able to comprehend why it was that I was so upset, and then they nodded slightly as a few of them even dared to smile.

"Monsters! You are all monsters, and it sickens me to cast my gaze upon you. The queen shall know by the day's end of what I saw here today, and you will all be lucky if you aren't banished or worse by tomorrow morning." I seethed as I stared at the men standing all around me, and I silently wished that my gaze could actually shoot daggers like it felt that I actually was doing. Volstagg took a small step forward toward my side, and he attempted to catch my eyes as I continued to glare angrily all around me.

"It is not the guards that are the monsters, Seraphina. It is the man that sits chained behind those cell walls. Do you not remember the lives that he took on Midgard or the lives that he also took here? Can you not see how he is suddenly so intensely influencing you? How he is so obviously playing games inside of your head?" He asked with concern flooding through his voice as he stared at me, and then he gently touched the side of my arm. I shook off his touch immediately as if it had burned me, and then I returned my glare to the guards.

"No my friend, I do not see his influence or the monster in him which you so often declare. What I do see is the royal guard's cruelty, and soon, so shall everyone else." I yelled as my voice practically dripped with venom as I felt my emotions beginning to completely take over me, and my eyes once again filling with tears. Volstagg stared at me as he seemed unable to formulate what it was that he should say to me, but before he could, I began moving quickly away. I did not say another word nor did I continue to violently stare. Instead, I moved as quickly toward the prison's exit as I could muster and closer toward the most gracious Queen Frigga. The royal guard might have been able to take liberties with how they restrained Prince Loki, but the queen was also quite able to take liberties with how she disciplined the men who had so disgustingly abused her son.

_**Loki:**_

My jaw ached painfully against the intense pressure of the metal muzzle that so restrictively restrained my lips, and my skin burned hotly just over my flesh from the hundreds of small cuts that had been so barbarically carved into me the day before by the poor excuses for men that King Odin so proudly referred to as his royal guard. The soft sound of agony being pulled from a prisoner's lips just a few cells away from mine immediately filled my ears as I foolishly attempted to find at least a small amount of respite from the torment of my overly tightened silver cuffs, and the painfully dry flesh that covered my lips finally began to once again crack just as I unsuccessfully attempted to move my slightly cramping mouth. I had been assured the afternoon before just after my fierce beating at the hands of the incredibly enthusiastic prison guards, that I would be freed from the mouth piece which forcibly ensured my silence just after my mother's attendant took her daily leave, but as I stared back at the smiling faces of the men that now so sadistically watched me, I knew that their words had most certainly been untrue. I would remain in the shackles that I wore in their entirety until the sweet Seraphina finally ended her attendance to me in just a few days' time, and even then, I would be foolish to believe that they would hurry in anyway to even partially free me from my incredibly painful binds. No, the royal guard would revel in seeing me rot in chains for all of eternity while they stood idly by and watched me suffer from a far, but thankfully, I was quite certain that before long I would no longer be in their attendance in such a way that would give them such a sickly indulgent pleasure. With any luck at all, tonight would be the last night that I would be forced to lay awake on the cold hard stone that made up my cell's floor, and that luck would mostly likely be entirely due to my sweet little Seraphina.

It had only been just over twelve hours since Seraphina had so abruptly taken her emotionally overtaken leave from my cold unusually unshrouded cage, but ever since the moment that she had first released my hands, I had been able feel her as if she was buried deep beneath my skin. I had felt her heartbeat pounding against my chest as she had pleaded with my mother to have the guards that had abused me removed from their highly coveted station, and I had been able to sense her silent worry as she had mindlessly toiled through the rest of her suddenly mundane seeming work day. Thoughts of hers that were plagued with my face filled my head as I used what little of my strength that I had left to pull them gently from inside of her mind, and prayers that she had directed up toward Valhalla rang in my ears as she spoke them before she finally allowed herself to retire to her bedchambers in order to at least attempt to somehow sleep for the night. The day before the woman that my mother had so foolishly sent to attend to me had been a blank slate that had been shrouded in complete mystery, and protected by a beautiful screen of self-projected lies. Tonight, however, she was an open book that lay open before me and I just simply could not seem to stop reading no matter how hard it was that I tried.

When Seraphina had first come to me earlier in the day that now almost lay completely behind me, I had not originally intended on intruding inside of the beautiful confines of her incredibly complicated mind, but when she had stood before me weeping and begging for any way that she could possibly help me, well I felt that I had no choice but to happily oblige. I had beckoned her to my side silently with nothing more than a simple gesture from my hand just after I had allowed the silence between us to grow slightly thick with tension, and when she had come to me so quickly, I had gained great pleasure in her eagerness to once again heedlessly obey. A few moments later I had found her knelt down before me apologizing for the trouble that she had caused me, and staring up at me with innocent soft green eyes that promised that they would never ever betray. I had questioned myself for a moment, wondering if it was ethical to do what it was that I was contemplating doing, and then I had laughed to myself at ever second guessing my brilliantly concocted scheme at all. It was then, with Seraphina a mess of tears just beside my outstretched legs that I had finally reached out to her, and I cannot lie that the intense reaction that she had to my touch had been a reward in itself regardless of the price that I was certain that the both of us soon would pay. As soon as my fingertips had reached the sides of Seraphina's beautiful face I had opened her mind like a book that I had desperately always wanted to read, and I had stepped inside without even hesitating before I trespassed in such a private of place. Within seconds I witnessed a lifetime's worth of memories and secrets flash before my eyes, and after another few minutes, I finally found all of the deep dark things that Seraphina was desperately trying to hide. Secret memories of stealing candy from a local shop when she had been a child, recollections of being beaten by her father when she hadn't obeyed his orders, and even a few scandalous thoughts that she had regarding one of her classmates during her school aged years all flooded through my mind in an instant, but even though the inner workings of her mind more than simply fascinated me, I did not stop until I reached the section of her subconscious that I so desperately needed to find. Finally, in the very back pushed away from the cognitive processes that dictated her daily life hid all of the dreams and fantasies that Seraphina hid from the incredibly judgmental world around her, and even hid from herself when she found herself feeling so ashamed of her desires. That was where I found the things that I had been looking for. That was where I found…_me_.

Images mixed with color and sound danced into my mind as I tapped into the portion of Seraphina's brain that held all of the secrets that she did not even want to admit to herself, and where she kept her strange and completely confusing feelings that she harbored toward me. Recordings of my voice and the riddled words that I had spoken to her during the few times that she had visited my cell rushed through my ears at a rapid pace, and photographic stills that contained my reflection immediately clouded my nearly entranced view. The tone of my skin, the texture of my hair, the flesh that covered my lips, and even the manner in which I held my frame all flitted across my vision as I attempted to sort through them in search of anything of actual importance, and a hunger moved deep inside of my body that had been attached to an image of Seraphina watching me when I had not noticed her eyes. I licked my lips as I felt myself becoming strangely aroused as I continued to trudge through all of Seraphina's thoughts that regarded me, but then finally I stopped as I stumbled onto one that appeared as if it might actually be of some use. An image of Seraphina and myself sitting on an expansive plushly decorated bed inside of the confines of what I assumed to be her private chambers, and me staring back at her in complete silence with my hands completely unbound, and my mouth thankfully not locked shut as in reality it currently still was. _Well, this appeared quite interesting._

The room was nearly silent with only the sound of Seraphina's uneven breaths filling the space surrounding her and the oddly fantasized vision of me that sat closely at her side, and the air that encased us seemed uncomfortably warm with just a hint of slight moisture. Seraphina stared at my image as it appeared that she was fighting with herself on what it was that she should do now that she finally had me alone, and then a few moments later, I watched as she finally pulled me into a very heated passionate kiss without so much as a single word to preface it. I swallowed thickly as I attempted to keep my mind on the facts that the dream could possibly give to me, but I had to admit that it was quite difficult not to get lost in the incredibly pleasing view before me. Seraphina's kiss was intense and incredibly hungry as she appeared to give herself completely over to its power, and even though she did absolutely nothing other than simply taste my lips, her actions seemed almost more intimate than that of newlyweds that were lost in the act of making love. Her teeth tore at my lips as she groaned against them in pure pleasure, and her tongue then gently pushed into my mouth as she appeared to revel in the taste of my saliva as it slid slowly down her throat. Her thoughts were running wild as she continued to taste her self-created image of me, and most of those thoughts seemed to be strewn with complete confusion as she told herself that this was not proper at all considering who I was and all of the horrible things that others had told her that I had done. I smiled as I watched Seraphina struggle with herself and scream at her body to cease in its foolish lust fueled actions, but she continued to feed at my mouth as if she was a woman on the brink of starvation regardless of how hard it was that she fought. I swallowed once again as I felt my longing begin to build deep inside of me as a desire that I had assumed I no longer even had suddenly roared to life, and the ache that settled deep within my groin quickly became too much for me to bear. As I watched Seraphina taste my tongue, bite at my lips, and become completely drenched in her own desire I felt my heart begin to race quite unusually inside of my chest, and as I watched her fingers tangle up into the waves of my midnight colored hair, I felt my own want become nearly as strong as hers. _And that was when the most peculiar, and absolutely brilliant thing unexpectedly happened._

As the need inside of me roared like a wild beast starved for delectable flesh, I lifted my hand in an attempt to push my mess of tangled hair away from my tensely held face, and I immediately noticed that the version of me in Seraphina's dream had suddenly also lifted his hand too. Instantly, I dropped my hand back down to my lap as I narrowed my eyes continuing to watch the strange display that was carrying on inside of my brain, and then I watched as the vision of me in Seraphina's dream dropped his hand once again as well. I swallowed thickly as a wicked smile very slowly took over my lips, and then realization quickly washed over me in a very deliciously powerful sort of way. I had bonded Seraphina and I much more tightly than I had originally intended when I had pushed my magic inside of her head earlier that day, and in doing so, I had somehow not only gained access to her memories, but I had also gained the ability to slightly manipulate the thoughts that she was actually currently having or most likely had recently just had. The possibilities nearly caused me to forget the physical pain that still plagued me from my beating as devious plots once again ran rampant inside of my mind, but after I finally pulled myself together and calmed my frantically chaotic thoughts, I slowly once again closed my tired eyes. The fantasy that I was witnessing apparently hadn't been a past dream that Seraphina had or something that she found herself reminiscing about, but instead was a very current thought that she was having inside of her mind right that very instant. So as I focused in on that fact, and the dream itself that had so intensely aroused me only moments before, I carefully took all of the strength that I had left inside of my slightly broken body and I pushed myself completely into the dream going on inside of Seraphina's mind. Silence and darkness enveloped me immediately as I gracefully found my cognitive footing once securely in my place, and then a few seconds later, I found myself in the warm confines of my sweet Seraphina's private room.

"I know that this is just a dream, but thinking of you in this way always causes me to feel so guilty, My Lord. I am so sorry. I truly wish that I knew what it was that was wrong with me." Seraphina whispered as she finally pulled away from my now slightly swollen feeling lips, and then met my eyes across the small space that still lay between us. I ran my tongue slowly across my bottom lip in an attempt to take in any taste of her that my mind would allow me to create, and then I released a small breath reveling in the apparent immeasurable strength that I never knew that I had.

"You apologize even in your dreams, Sweet Girl. Don't you ever tire of constantly asking for forgiveness?" I asked softly as I stared at the beautiful woman before me who I honestly could have guessed would conduct herself exactly the same in her fantasies as she did in real-life. Seraphina narrowed her eyes at me as she tilted her head to the side, and then slowly licked her lips as an expression of confusion suddenly moved across her face.

"You usually do not speak in the dreams that I have of you, My Lord. I must have pleased the gods to be able to hear your voice tonight…or possibly even angered them." She said as she laughed quietly to herself, and then slowly dropped her head so that her eyes eventually met the floor. I watched her carefully as I slowly reached out one of my hands almost without my own permission, and then I very gently slipped my fingers just beneath the curve of her small chin, and lifted her head back up toward mine. The feel of her skin was almost magnetic as our flesh finally met, and from the look in her eyes, it seemed that Seraphina had felt the intense charge of it as well.

"I can feel you, My Lord. The few nights before tonight nothing but just the feel of my own hands, but tonight I feel you like I felt you when we were locked inside of your cell. What kind of sorcery is this that I am experiencing?" Seraphina questioned breathlessly as she lifted her hand up to mine that still rested on her chin, and then tangled her fingers tightly around mine. I shrugged as I drug my thumb that I still had free over the soft curve of Seraphina's jaw line, and then I licked my now practically starving lips.

"No sorcery, Sweet Seraphina. I do believe that you are just getting better at dreaming." I lied as I allowed one of my devious smiles to cross my face, but Seraphina did not smile in return as she intently appeared to continue to skeptically watch me. Her eyes narrowed once again as I began to hear the confusion of her thoughts quickly enter my mind, and then she lifted her gaze to once again meet mine.

"I have dreamt in the same manner ever since I was young, My Lord, and I doubt that it has so quickly changed. This is because of earlier today, is it not? This is because of when you touched me in your cell, and when I felt like I was drowning inside of your eyes. You bewitched me, didn't you?" Seraphina suddenly asked with alarm lacing her voice and fear dripping from her words as she quickly turned away from my hand and moved back slightly onto the softness of her bed. I leaned back on my hands where I sat beside Seraphina, and then I narrowed my eyes as I felt myself slowly beginning to smile.

"So clever, and yet your mind is so incredibly underused. Tell me, Sweet Girl, what kind of spell is it that you think that I have put on you? What kind of magic would allow me to so quickly take this kind of power inside of your mind?" I questioned with a small laugh as I raised my brow playfully. Seraphina moved slightly further away from me as I could tell that she was becoming even more so confused than she had been before, and that she now felt slightly uncomfortable with me being so close to her since she knew that this was no longer her completely private night time dream.

"My Lord, I do not even begin to understand the power of your magic or its full extent, but I imagine that whatever influence you used on me, it was in fact quite strong. I have felt strange all day today and I could not figure out why that was, but now it all makes complete sense. You have been playing inside of my mind as if it was a schoolyard, and now that you have done it, what is it that you want from me in return?" Seraphina asked as she stared with nervous eyes back at me, and obviously questioned every single intention that I had ever had in regards to her. I sighed as I allowed my smile to finally fade, and then I leaned forward just slightly until my arms rested on the tops of my knees. I ran my index finger just over the skin that covered one of Seraphina's bare knees, and then I watched as goose bumps completely covered her delectable appearing skin. _It was time to earn some trust that in all honesty, I truly did not deserve, but that I planned on gaining just the same._

"Seraphina, I did not put a spell on you or bewitch you, of that you can be assured. What I did do was open up your mind to me, and allow myself inside without your permission, which I understand that you view as betrayal." I began very smoothly as I stared up into Seraphina's eyes, and gently caressed the skin that I had so recently just touched for the very first time. Seraphina's breathing immediately sped up and her heart began to hammer inside of her chest as she stared back at me as her confusion slowly began to dissipate from her beautiful eyes. I licked my lips as I kept my gaze directly on hers, and kept my tone even and cool.

"Everyone views that as betrayal, My Lord. Or at the very least as invasion." She whispered as I could tell that she was so desperately attempting to keep a hold of her mind, and not focus on the ministrations that my fingers were currently doing. _I would swiftly put an end to that nonsense._

"I did not do this because I was trying to cause you to do things that you did not want to do or even to attempt to use you as my puppet, Seraphina. I did this for one reason and one reason only, and that reason is that I so desperately need your help." I whispered softly as my fingers moved just slightly higher up the soft flesh that covered Seraphina's knee, and in turn caused her legs to begin to slightly shake against my touch. I swallowed as I continued in my strategic seduction, and reminded myself to not get lost in the moment when I still had so much left to lose.

"Why didn't you just ask me for my help when I begged you earlier this morning when I was in your cell? You know that I would have done whatever it was that you asked of me." Seraphina retorted truthfully as I felt her knee jerk as my hand moved just slightly higher than I was quite certain a girl of her moral standing was used to, and then she carefully cleared her throat. I smiled just slightly as I removed my fingers from her shaking leg, and then I brought them carefully up to my lips.

"If you remember correctly, My Sweet, I was and still am just slightly verbally challenged at the current moment." I said as I kept my eyes intently on hers. Seraphina blushed slightly as I could tell that she now felt foolish for forgetting about the metal muzzle that I had been wearing and in reality actually was still wearing, and then she slowly nodded her head. I allowed my smile to fade just slightly as I rubbed my fingers just lightly against my lips, and then I returned them slowly back down to Seraphina's leg once again. Her arousal filled the air around me just after I had completed my very harmless action, and I could nearly taste the wetness that I knew now pooled headily between her luscious appearing legs. _The power of suggestion was a very amazing sort of thing._

"Yes, I apologize, My Lord. That was a vision that I have been attempting to forget. Um…how is it that I can in any way help you, though? I don't really see how a servant such as myself can be of much assistance, but I will do anything that I can to try." Seraphina answered as she bit down slightly on the swell of her full rose colored bottom lip, and then dropped her eyes down to where my hand still rested on her thigh. Her skin flushed as she carefully watched my thumb slowly slide once again over her silky soft skin, and suddenly a few very graphic images of my hand moving between her legs rushed into the confines of my already power hunger mind. _My my, wasn't someone a very naughty girl._

"You are far more important than I believe that you know, Seraphina. You are the only one that they allow inside of my cell aside from the guards, and the only outside person that anyone trusts enough to be in my immediate presence. In essence, it is _only_ you that can truly help me." I said attempting to not only state the obvious truth, but also sugar coat my words just slightly in order to help coax Seraphina into wanting to assist me even more that I knew that she already did. There was a silence as Seraphina slowly lifted her eyes back up to mine, and then eventually she began to carefully shake her head. _Well, I didn't like the looks of that._

"I cannot help you to escape, My Lord. I am sorry, but I just cannot. If I were to be caught by Queen Frigga or the gods forbid King Odin, I would be…" Seraphina began to ramble as I felt her body begin to shake even harder against my hand, and fear begin to quickly overtake the desire that only a few moments before appeared to almost completely consume her. I sighed as I moved my hand slightly higher once again up her leg, and then squeezed her flesh just lightly against my hand. _The feel of caressing her and manipulating her skin with my touch was absolutely intoxicating._

"My sweet, Seraphina. I would never put you in such danger as to risk your life at the hands of my vengeful father, and I would also never dream of forcing you to do anything against the wishes of my mother. The only thing that I am asking of you is to help free me from the mask that the guards have forced me to wear. It is incredibly painful and it is draining my energy at a rapid rate. That is the only thing that I am asking of you. The Alfather has sentenced me to a life in chains, and if it is his decree, then it is a sentence that I will be forced to endure. The only thing that I wish is to be able to serve my sentence with at least a minor amount of comfort and dignity. And, also to possibly be able to regularly eat." I said softly as I made sure to cause myself to sound in as much pain as possible as I spoke to Seraphina and hopefully appeal to the incredibly emotional heart that we both knew that she had. There was a silence as Seraphina continued to stare at me, and then I watched as her breath suddenly hitched just slightly inside of her throat just as I once again shifted my hand.

"When I went to your mother today she assured me that the guards would be punished and that both the plate over your mouth as well as some of the restraints that bound you would be removed until my next visit. Is that not what actually happened, My Lord?" Seraphina asked as she stared at me with concern suddenly filling her pale emerald green eyes and sadness just edging her powerful stare. I laughed lightly to myself as I quickly shook my head and then reclined back slightly where I sat and further away from the woman sitting before me. Seraphina dropped her eyes as I sensed her disappointment from the loss of my touch, and I had to resist the urge to smile at her adorable little pouting.

"No, unfortunately, the royal guard only believe that they are required to follow orders that are given to them by the most courageous King Odin. Orders that come from my mother, well they feel much safer in ignoring." I said with a cold humorless smile as I remembered the guards laughing when they had first received the messenger that had come from my mother after Seraphina had went to her in hysterics, and how they had actually tightened a few restraints as if to spite her in her effort.

"And, they call you a monster." Seraphina whispered under her breath as she began to mindlessly toil with a stray piece of fabric that hung on the edge of her ivory colored night gown just as she had the first time that she had come to me in my cell so early in the morning just a few days before. I shrugged as I leaned closer toward her once again and then pulled the thin material from her delicate hands gently with two of my long fingers. Seraphina licked her lips as she slid her hands very unexpectedly into mine and then ran her thumb just over the slightly roughened skin of mine. _The fight inside of her had once again begun…and I was prepared for such a battle._

"Maybe we are all monsters." I whispered as I swallowed thickly and attempted to repress all of the incredibly filthy thoughts that were beginning to move into my mind that were completely my own possession and not the beauty's that was sitting quietly before me. Seraphina squeezed my hand as she lifted our tangled fingers slowly up toward her face, and then she slowly shook her head.

"You are not a monster, My Lord. No matter what you have done, what you are thinking about doing or the harm that you have caused, you are still not a monster." She whispered against my skin as I watched in what felt like complete helpless awe as she lowered her mouth down toward my hand, and then incredibly slowly began kissing my skin. The desire inside of me that had been slowly building ever since the moment that I had first met Seraphina began to rage once again as I watched her so delicately touch me, and my mind began to swim as both her and my thoughts began to intermingle scandalously together inside of my head.

"You have no way of knowing that, Sweet Girl. You have not seen the things that have happened outside of these kingdom's walls or what evil was then made from them. You have an innocent heart and a naïve mind, and after you finish your service to me in a few days' time, you will once again not have to worry about such horrible things." I said as I continued to fixate on the soft motion of Seraphina's mouth as she began moving her lips over the raised expanse of my knuckles and then allowed her teeth to just slightly graze my roughened skin. My body ached as an image slid into my mind of me taking her right then and there on her bed regardless of if this actually technically was still a dream, but then realization immediately brought me at least somewhat back to my senses. _That last image hadn't been from any thought of mine._

"I don't want to finish my service to you, My Lord. I don't want you to rot in chains for the rest of your life when I do not believe that you deserve it. I want to help you without falling out of the good graces of the throne. Can you tell me how to do that, Prince Loki? Can you tell me, please?" She asked in a desperate plea as she looked up from my hands and stared back at me with the same innocence in her beautiful emerald eyes that I always saw whenever she so happened to look up at me like that. I ran my tongue slowly over my bottom lip as I leaned forward, and then I finally untangled my fingers from Seraphina's. Carefully, I lifted one of my hands up to the side of her face, and then I brushed my thumb very gently over the perfectly rounded curve of her cheek.

"All I need from you, Sweet Girl, is to get me the key to the mask that they have forced me to wear. I require nothing more, and I will be forever in your debt." I answered as I kept my gaze tightly in on Seraphina's and once again attempted to make myself sound as genuine and pure as I possibly could. _And that was quite difficult considering the kind of man that I truly was._

"How would I be able to get the key? None of the guards would ever give it to me no matter what my reason, and if I try to take it, then they will have me down onto the ground before I even have the chance to move. How am I to unknowingly get it from them, and then somehow secretly get it to you?" She asked as she stared at me with both confusion and concern flooding her beautiful face. I stroked my hand down the side of Seraphina's face in an attempt to soothe her, and then I lowered my fingertips to the soft flesh just at the base of her delicate throat. Seraphina's pulse thudded against my flesh as if it was about to burst through her skin.

"Your warrior friend, the one that goes by the name of Volstagg, he is the man that carries the key. If you come to the prison tomorrow during the time that you always do when you are attending to me, I can assure you that you will have his audience, and that he will be plenty distracted so that you can obtain what I need without his even knowing. Once you have it, you will enter my cell just as you always do, and I will disguise my cage so that you can unlock my mask. After that you will take your leave before you are noticed, and then whatever will be will be." I answered mysteriously as I smiled in what I hoped conveyed reassurance to the girl that now sat so anxiously before me. Seraphina nodded slowly as she leaned slightly into my touch, and then she once again licked her full lips.

"But, if I am caught…" She started, but as soon as she did, I quickly lifted my free hand and raised it back up to her face, and pulled her closer toward me before she could finish. Seraphina's eyes widened slightly as I could tell my action had been completely unexpected, and then her gaze once again fell down to my mouth. _Such little restraint from such proper young girl._

"I will not let anything happen to you, Seraphina. No harm will come to you by assisting me in this task." I said as I nodded carefully toward her, and of all of the lies that I had told to Seraphina that night, my last few words I had actually meant to be true. Sure, I would happily manipulate and use this beautiful girl to my advantage so that I could hopefully escape the prison that Odin had so greedily created for me, but I still in no way wanted for the beauty before me to come to any harm. Most might have thought that I believed in destruction for absolutely no reason at all, but most of my violence was actually quite deliberate and with great thought involved in its process. I didn't believe in killing just for the thrill of killing, no I believed in sacrifice in order to serve a greater good.

"Well, My Lord. I guess that I will see you in the morning just as I have in the days past, and I will do what it is that you have asked of me. Now, if you do not mind, I must get some rest. I have a feeling that come tomorrow, I am desperately going to need it." Seraphina said with a smile as she lifted her now wary appearing eyes back up toward mine. I nodded as I heard the fear that still edged her voice, but I smiled in an attempt to ignore her plight that I had created, and instead focus on the task that was still left at hand.

"You are asleep, Seraphina." I whispered once again remembering that we had been conversing this whole time in a realm of complete fantasy, and that in the morning there was still a small chance that Seraphina might not believe that any of this had actually been real. Seraphina smiled as she turned her head toward me, and then narrowed her eyes just slightly in my direction.

"Before you go, I do have a question, My Lord. Now that my mind is open to you after what you did to me this morning, can you see and hear all of the thoughts that I have?" She asked as she looked almost bashfully back at me, and I could tell prayed that I would give her some sort of a comforting answer. I nodded slowly as stared at her. _Unfortunately, I was not known for being comforting._

"Yes, every single one." I said stressing each one of my words just as soon as any trace of a smile had left my face. The color drained from Seraphina's face as she nodded slowly, and then swallowed thickly inside of her throat. I watched her carefully as I once again began moving my fingers slowly down the expanse of her neck and toward the deep ridge of her collarbone.

"Well, that is quite embarrassing." She said softly as she forced a small laugh and then dropped her eyes down away from my face. I quickly moved my fingers just under Seraphina's chin once again, and then I lifted her gaze back up toward mine. Her eyes were filled with desire as she stared back at me, and suddenly images projected by her flashed through my mind. Bare flesh, lips hungrily tasting skin, and the sound of pleasured screams filled my mind and caused the lust inside of me to once again roar to life. I swallowed thickly as I stared at her, and then very slowly I moved myself closer to where she sat. I felt Seraphina's posture go rigid as I leaned down closer toward her face, and then I felt her nearly jump out of her skin as I painfully slowly neared the tender flesh of her ear. I swallowed once again before I finally decided to speak, and then I chose my next words very carefully before I eventually expressed them.

"Be careful what fantasies you share with me so innocently, Seraphina. I fear that you could not truly handle the pleasure of them actually coming true." I whispered against her skin as I felt Seraphina begin to violently shake against me. The woman beside me released a ragged breath from between her soft lips, and then I felt her force a small nervous laugh to escape her mouth.

"You are just like all of the other men of our realm who believe themselves to be gods of passion when locked behind closed bedchamber's doors. I wonder if you could live up to this or any of the other falsehoods that you have presented here tonight." Seraphina questioned with an edge of sarcasm in her voice even though her words shook slightly anxiously off of her lips. I smiled against the flesh of Seraphina's ear as I slowly lifted my head, and then I met her green eyes carefully once again. I lifted one of my hands up to the delicate flesh of her chin, and then I pressed my thumb carefully against it just below her lips. Seraphina's mouth opened as if I had commanded that it be so, and I could practically taste her delicious saliva as it danced over her tongue in lust fueled anticipation as she continued to stare back at me.

"There is no lie that I cannot prove true, and no boundary set by a fool that I cannot cross, Seraphina. I am unlike anyone that you have ever met before, My Darling, and you can be rest assured that there are no other men like me." I whispered darkly, and just after I spoke those words against Seraphina's practically dripping beautiful lips, I vanished myself from her dream and returned to the cold confines of my cell. I relaxed back the best that I could against the frigid stone wall that stood so strongly behind me, and then I once again closed my painfully tired eyes. The next few days would most likely be some of the most challenging moments of my entire life, and the morning ahead of me would honestly be the worst. If I could just get the key that I had requested from Seraphina, everything would go smoothly. But, if any part of my plan failed in its effort, well I would be in far worse shape than I had been ever before. I needed Seraphina to do what it was that I had asked of her, and I desperately needed her to do it soon.


	4. Chapter Four

_**Chapter Four: Delicious Deceit**_

_**Seraphina**_

The breathless sound of my own slightly shaking voice was the only noise that I could clearly hear as I abruptly awoke from my restless night's sleep, and returned to the reality of my still mostly darkened bedroom chambers. The air surrounding me was painfully thick and incredibly warm as I found myself desperately gasping for air, and the scent of leather lingered strangely in the atmosphere all around me even though the material itself was nowhere to be found. My heart throbbed inside of my chest as I stared in confusion at my chambers before me searching for any signs of the man who had once again invaded my once completely innocent dreams, but just as every other morning before it for nearly the past four days' time, he was absolutely nowhere to be found. Finally, after a few moments of attempting to at least somewhat pull myself together, and reminding myself once again that I had just simply had another incredibly sinful but completely harmless dream regarding the incredibly mysterious Prince Loki, I gave myself a chance to once again at least attempt to breathe. It was completely obvious that I was quite possibly beginning to go mad judging by the amount of time that I was allowing the youngest prince to now occupy my brain, but something about the dream that I had just awoken from seemed so much different than all of the rest. In my other incredibly scandalous fantasies that involved the out casted member of the royal family, I had been unable to feel the powerful touch or hear the seductive voice of the man in which I was quite honestly now completely obsessing over, but the night before had been quite different. In my most recent dream, I had been able to feel Prince Loki's slightly calloused fingertips as they had caressed my skin so tenderly, and I had been able to hear his incredibly seductive velvet lined voice as he had whispered in my ear what he so desperately needed me to do. _And what I was quite certain, that I absolutely could not actually do no matter how elaborate my dreams were becoming._

When I had been lost in the incredibly tantalizing fantasy of my dreams the night before, I had truly believed that I could and would be able to succeed in the task that the prince had set out for me without much more than even a second thought. The request had seemed frightening at first, but after a few soft spoken words and incredibly well placed touches, I had decided that the assigned endeavor actually wasn't that bad considering what other things Prince Loki could have honestly been asking for. How harmful would it be to simply _borrow_ a key from one of my dearest friends if it meant that a member of the esteemed aristocracy would be freed of his painful and completely unnecessary barbaric mask that obviously caused him so much pain? How intense of a crime would it truly be considered if my slight bending of the rules was all in benefit of the wrongly incarcerated son of the queen who I knew still loved her son with all of her heart? _My guess was that it would be very harmful, and that it would also be a very intensely punished crime._

Yet, regardless of the punishment that I feared that I would receive and the harm that I questioned that I might unknowingly cause, my mind still questioned if simply allowing the prince a slight amount of comfort while he was forced to be encaged beneath his chains, would honestly be that horrible of an offense at all. It wasn't as if I would be unlocking his chains or opening the door to his cell so that he could run free in our kingdom's streets. No, I would simply be allowing a man who only twelve months before had been bowed to like the royalty that he was born to be to actually be able to breathe without being restrained by metal, and affording him even the smallest pleasantries that even the unapologetic murderers in the other cells received. My transgression wouldn't be an act of disregard for the throne or the rules that they set forth like so many other of the criminals that walked the cities of our beautiful realm had committed, it would instead be an action of kindness toward someone that was being unnecessarily abused. Yes, I was certain that simply unlocking the mask that Prince Loki had been forced to wear wouldn't at all be the mess that I was certain that my dear friend Volstagg would assume it to be, but I was certain that he would definitely understand my reasons if I later explained it to him properly and with a great amount of care. _Wait…none of this sounded like me. None of this sounded like me at all._

_Seraphina…_ Prince Loki's weak voice suddenly whispered immediately invading my mind in a painful plea as I felt my breathing nearly stop completely once again, and my heart come violently alive deep inside of my chest.

"Stay out of my head, please, My Lord. What you are asking of me will be considered a crime by King Odin. I cannot do it. I am sorry, but I simply cannot." I said out loud even though the prince's voice currently existed only inside of my mind as I tightened my grip on my thick blankets that still covered me, and prayed silently to the gods that they would have mercy on me during this incredibly confusing time.

_Seraphina…please…come to me…help me. _Prince Loki's voice pleaded softly, and suddenly, I felt his desperate tone begin to ebb ever so gently at my still violently hammering and incredibly emotional young heart. I swallowed thickly as I shook my head, and then sent up yet another silent prayer to Valhalla, in hopes that one of the most gracious gods would save me from the temptation that suddenly lay out so beautifully before me.

_If they catch me I will be punished, My Lord. I will punished in a most monumental way. _ I spoke inside of my mind as I suddenly imagined that I would look quite silly carrying on with what appeared to be only myself inside of my bedchambers so early in the morning if I were to be caught especially by my dearest mother.

_Sweet girl, all I am asking for is your help so that I might be able to at least speak or hopefully soon eat. I would never take advantage of your kindness, and I would never allow any harm to come to you at the hands of my vengeful father. _Prince Loki said from inside of my head in a soft and soothing voice that the logical portion of my brain told me immediately not to even begin to trust, but that the emotional side of my thoughts begged me to honestly consider.

_I hate what they have done to you…_ I thought inside of my head as I once again remembered the image of Prince Loki laying lifelessly against the cold stone wall of his cell wall as he had stared at me with pain in his eyes and defeat in his stare. There was a silence inside of the confines of my mind, and then the sound of someone releasing a deep breath finally filled my ears.

_Then help me, Seraphina. Help me, and I can assure you that I will someday return the favor._ Prince Loki whispered, and even though I was certain that most of the things that he had said to me over the past few days had in fact actually been complete lies in order to get what he wanted, the last few words that he spoke to me for once actually sounded as if they might have been true. A million thoughts raced through my head as I played out nearly every possible horrible consequence of assisting Prince Loki quickly as if fast forwarding through an idiotic Midgardian movie, and then finally I released a breath and pushed them all forcefully away. _My worries were in no way going to help me now that I had already so deeply involved myself in this ridiculous situation._

_I must ready myself for my visit to you in just a few hours' time. Rest easy, My Prince. At least one of us should be able to._ I thought to myself as I made a slight face just as the sun slowly began to rise behind the eastern mountains, and began to shine in through the thin drapery that covered my shining glass bedchambers window. Prince Loki did not respond to my last statement after I had thought it, but I did however hear the sound of his dark laughter resonate just slightly throughout the confines of my mind. I smiled to myself as I slowly shook my head, and then finally after sitting with my strange new thoughts for another couple of minutes, I eventually gained the courage to push myself out of the softness of my bed.

The remainder of my early morning passed just like any other ever had, but deep inside of myself, I knew that this morning was in no way like the rest. My routine remained the same as I bathed myself carefully, attended to my hair and makeup just like any woman of my age would do, and I of course joined my family for breakfast just like I always so instinctively had. The difference, however, was that as I tended to all of the tasks that I so regularly completed, I was unusually lost inside of the confines of my own mind and obsessively wondering who else it was that might also unwelcomingly be joining me.

"Seraphina?" I heard my mother's soft voice suddenly call out to me from across our small kitchen table, and immediately drag me back from the insanity that was now completely ravaging my entire mind.

"Yes, Mother?" I asked in a slightly shaky voice as I quickly cleared my incredibly dry throat, and then raised my eyes to the dark emerald one's that stared in a slightly worry some fashion back at me.

"My Dear, I have been speaking to you for quite a few minutes, and have not received a response. Have you heard anything that I have said?" My mother asked as she tilted her head slowly to the side in question, and then raised her brow in what appeared to be confusion as she stared intently in my direction. I swallowed thickly as I shook my head slowly, and then released an anxious slightly lengthened nervous breath.

"My apologies, Mother, but I have been feeling slightly under the weather as of late. I have been having a difficult time keeping my focus. What is it that you were saying to me?" I asked as I forced a fake smile onto my face, and then attempted to push any thoughts of the trickster prince out of my head that I worried could possibly be still digging around in search of secrets that I preferred stayed unfound inside of my mind.

"I was asking if you were enjoying working as closely as you have been with the queen. I know that when I first entered my station as one of her primary attendants, I was quite nervous being given such an important and prestigious task. I was wondering if you now felt the same as I had." My mother asked as she smiled gently in my direction, and then pushed the long thick braid of her chestnut colored hair carefully over her right shoulder, and then lifted her glass of water up to her lips.

"Oh yes, I am enjoying my service to the queen quite immensely. She is most gracious and kind, and she is very…sensible in her requests of me. I was very anxious when I first began my work in her direct service, but she has now made me feel quite at ease in my position." I answered carefully as I slowly nodded my head, and then took in a very deep and anxious breath. My mother nodded as she smiled warmly in my direction.

_So eloquent and polished, Seraphina. Did I miss your beautiful face when I was off attending finishing school?_ Prince Loki's voice suddenly taunted as his words quickly once again filled my mind, and caused my heart to begin to race rampantly inside of my chest.

"Well, I am glad to hear that, Seraphina. Queen Frigga has been such a kind queen to me and to all of us all of these years, I am so happy to hear that you feel the same way as I do. Tell me, Child, what things has the queen tasked of you as of late? I feel that you are rarely ever home for us to discuss your duties and how you are enjoying them." My mother said as she kept her smile held perfectly on her face, and then nodded toward my father who ate in silence beside her, signaling to him that she wished for him to pass her a spare plate. My heart began to pound as I took in the question that she asked of me, and suddenly broken images of the dream that I had the night before rushed into my mind.

_Oh no, Sweet Girl, I would not tell her that. You'll be in temple before the sun is fully up. _ Prince Loki's voice retorted sarcastically as I could hear the humor lacing his every single teasing word. I released a breath as I felt a mixture between embarrassment and slight annoyance begin to set in, and my heart finally begin to slow just slightly in its intense pace.

_My prince, with all do respect, please be quiet. My meal time conversation is really none of your bother, so please do not make it so. _I snapped back inside of my head as I once again attempted to focus in on the question that my mother had asked of me, and not on the menacing man that I believed was now quite literally striving to take over my mind. Prince Loki once again did not say another word, but his laughter could just be heard deep within the farthest places of my mind.

"I have simply been attending to the usual tasks that one would when in service to the queen. I help her ready herself for her meetings with the court, I assist with meals and handle her appointments, and I ensure that everything runs smoothly so she does not have so many concerns. I assume I do all of the things that you have done over the years while in her service, but I doubt that I have been able to do them even half as well as you have." I answered as I made sure to add some flattery to my comment so that hopefully my mother did not realize how incredibly preoccupied and truly worried that I honestly was because I was not completely certain that if asked straight away, I would be able to lie directly to her face.

_I would have to guess that you have done a few things that your mother has not done, Seraphina, and I highly doubt that she would have been able to do them better. Attending to a prisoner in the dark dungeons of the Asgard Prison would definitely be one of them that I assume that she has yet to accomplish. Dreaming about said prisoner shortly thereafter would most likely be another. However, I guess I do not know the most elegant Signy all that well in all honestly, the gods only know of the scandal that she could be in to. _Prince Loki joked sarcastically inside of my head, and his last statement was what finally caused me to snap.

"Stop!" I shouted out loud in the small expanse of my family's kitchen as I pushed myself quickly up to my feet, and then immediately noticed the faces of my father, mother, and brother suddenly look up at me in extreme alarm. I swallowed thickly as I saw the concerned looks on their faces slowly become those of almost a slightly confused disgust.

"Stop what, darling?" My mother asked as she slowly also pushed herself up to her feet and then stared at me as if I had gone completely insane or as if I had become possessed by a demon that had risen from the ice covered depths of Hel. I swallowed thickly as I once again stared at the concerned faces surrounding me, and surprisingly, the velvet lined voice inside of my mind then strangely became quiet once again. _Now he shuts up…_

"Umm…nothing, I apologize for my outburst. I think that I am beginning to feel ill. I will attend to my duties today and then tonight I will come home and rest. I must have come down with something after being out in the cold yesterday." I said quickly as I attempted to brush off my strange verbal eruption as sickness, and not as the complete insanity that it truly was. The faces around me finally slightly began to relax, and then unfortunately my brother decided to also speak.

"Seraphina, you have always been a strange girl, so I doubt if illness is the reason behind your odd behavior. I wonder if maybe your mind is simply just preoccupied. Maybe by a new man that has gained your interest?" My brother Viggo asked with a smile as he pushed his dirty blonde hair away from his face, and then nodded in my direction. I shook my head just after I had made a very unappreciative face, and then quickly pushed away any thoughts of the devious man who had been the cause of my newfound complete loss of sanity.

"No, brother, my behavior has nothing to do with a man. I am simply feeling unlike myself after being out in the harsh weather. That is the extent of it." I answered quickly as I began clearing my still completely full breakfast dishes from the table, and then moved closer toward our porcelain sink. My brother shrugged his shoulders as he turned his eyes back down toward his plate as if he did not truly believe me, and then he smiled just slightly to himself.

"Are you quite certain, Seraphina? I heard that one of the soldiers took a liking to you when he saw you in the grand hall the other day. You were rushing out of the kingdom early in the morning attending to your work for the queen, and apparently he was quite taken with the sight of you. I am sure that you have made his acquaintance before. His name is Agnar." He continued as he shoved a fork full of food roughly into his mouth, and then turned his hazel eyes back up toward my emerald ones. I could feel myself roll my eyes as I remembered the oafish _boy_ that I had met just a few months before who was no brighter than the armor that he wore and no less oafish than Prince Thor himself who he utterly adored.

_Agnar is a bumbling idiot, Sweet Girl. His sword is more educated than he is._ I heard Prince Loki's voice suddenly say inside of my mind just before I planned to react once again to my brother's statement. I smiled to myself at the prince's slightly humorous comment, but then I quickly masked my most likely insane appearing face before those around me noticed it.

"Viggo, Agnar is not really…" I began, but before I could even fully get my response out, my father decided that it was his turn to now also join our conversation.

"Agnar? Son of Gunther? That is a fine boy, and a mighty talented warrior. You should feel honored to have him look at you, daughter. I have seen him kill a man that advanced on him in less than a second, without so much as a blink of his eye. He is strong and fiercely quick." My father answered as he nodded toward me with a stern stare as he opened his large mouth once again in order to continue eating his food, and then nodded also in the direction of my mother. My mother simply smiled, but she did not say a thing.

_Yes, Seraphina, listen to your father sing the praises of this wondrous man. What fair maiden wouldn't desire a match with a man who is so well known for being quick?_ Prince Loki's voice asked sardonically inside of my head, and immediately caused me to laugh out loud just after my father had finished speaking. All eyes once again fell to me as I once again most likely appeared to be quite crazy. _This was not my morning._

"Did I amuse you, Child?" My father asked as he narrowed his eyes carefully, and then stared at me in a manner in which I remembered very well from the times when I had misbehaved as a child. Fear rushed through me once again as if I were still a young girl of six, and immediately I straightened my posture before I quickly began to speak in any attempt to somehow recover myself from the incredibly tense situation.

"Of course not, Father. I was simply rejoicing in my good fortune. How lucky of a girl am I to be looked at by such a man. It appears that the gods are smiling down on me today." I said in a voice that even I knew probably sounded completely fabricated as I nodded quickly toward my father, and then thankfully earned a smile from him in return.

_Your lying needs work, Sweet Girl, a quite substantial amount of work._ Prince Loki said in a voice that now suddenly sounded quite exhausted as it was beginning to lose its very distinguishable spark for life. I swallowed as I actually felt a slight amount of sadness move through me that was caused by the different tone of his deep voice, and then I attempted to quickly push it away before it overtook me.

_Rest, My Lord. Please rest._ I finally answered inside of my mind as I continued to attempt to push my emotions away, but obviously they continued to violently fight me at every turn. The voice in my head once again went silent, and even though only a few moments before I had desperately wished it to be quiet, its absence suddenly caused me to feel an emptiness that I never before had.

"It appears that they are." My father answered in regards to my response that had apparently needed work according to the young prince, and then he once again dutifully returned to his breakfast. I released a breath as I reveled in the fact that it seemed as if our family conversation was now finally over, and then I politely excused myself from the thick air of the kitchen that suddenly felt as if it was choking me. Slowly, I finished my regular ministrations around my home before it was time for me to take my leave to attend to my work, and then after kissing my family good bye, I made my way once again toward my usual path that led to the palace. I carefully focused in on the incredibly dangerous task that was ahead of me that day as I mindlessly moved, and I attempted to ignore that nagging feeling that begged me to reconsider in my most recent decision. I knew that what I was about to do would be considered wrong in the eyes of the throne, but I also knew that what I was about to do was something that deep in my heart I felt that needed to be done. What the guards had done to Prince Loki was completely unacceptable and something that they had never done even to the most violent of their other prisoners. No, I had every right to do what it was that I was about to do, and I was doing it based on the principles that had been instilled in me ever since I had been a young child by the strong leaders that had helped shape my realm. My actions had absolutely nothing to do with the strange feelings that I had developed for Prince Loki or the fact that even before he had jumped inside of my mind he had been almost all that I had thought about besides my duties at work that forcefully crept in from time to time. No, I would have done what I was about to do for anyone if they had asked for my assistance regardless of who they were. _May the gods help me, even I knew that last part was a complete and total lie._

_**Loki:**_

The minutes passed by as if they were hours as I sat locked behind the glass walls of my seemingly shrinking cage, and intently stared back at the beast who once again had been foolish enough to taunt me. Ever since two days before when I had originally been forced into my extra restraints and incredibly uncomfortable steel mask, the blackened monster in the cell just across from mine had been staring back at me with excited crimson eyes, and a cold malice filled stare as he appeared to revel in my incredible misfortune. Every second that I sat awake the creature before me prodded at my hidden wounds as I was simply forced to sit idly by, and with every moment that he provoked me knowing that I would be unable to respond to him, my rage grew even that much stronger in return. My muscles ached beneath my skin as I slowly forced myself to pull my eyes away from the beast before me and then I attempted to once again somehow relieve my discomfort just slightly beneath my heavy chains, but no matter what it was that I tried, I could of course find absolutely no ease from my pain at all. Finally, I released a heavy breath into the metal plate that so tightly covered my lips, and then I turned my neck carefully to one side as I slowly shut my tired eyes. I stretched the aching tendons that were laced tightly into knots up near the sharp curve of my jaw, and then I repeated the same action on my neck's incredibly stiff other side. I would revel in the freedom that I so rightly deserved as soon as my sweet Seraphina helped me to achieve it, and I would celebrate my freedom by educating a select few wrong doers of just how incredibly unpleasant my chains could truly feel.

"No idle threats or sharp edged words today, Bastard Prince?" The monster before me finally asked as he stared back at me from the confines of his glass cage that unfortunately suddenly looked far more appealing than mine, and then he smiled disgustingly just after he had finished speaking. I narrowed my eyes as I kept my gaze locked tightly in on the beast in front of me, and I desperately attempted to repress the fire that was beginning to burn so wildly inside of me. _Save your rage, you will need every ounce of it soon enough._

"It is so sad that your attendant has to see you as you are now with her beautiful young eyes. What kind of a man she must now believe you to be as you lay broken and defeated on the floor of your cell chained up like a mange consumed wolf about to be put out of its misery. How sad that she has to see you for the animal that you truly are, and not for the prince that you pretended to be." The ogre of a man that stood behind two panes of glass away from me snarled as he continued to smile deviously in my direction, revealing his disgusting set of mangled blackened teeth. I tightened my fists to the point of pain at my sides as I stared at the monster before me, and then I lifted one of my hands in preparation to boil his brain until he could never have another uncivilized thought for the rest of his life, but then something immediately stopped me. Suddenly, I heard a heavy door at the end of the hall slam closed tightly, and then the sound of footsteps immediately begin to approach my line of frigid cells. The monster smiled with dark excitement as he looked in the direction that the noise had originally come from, and then he turned his hideous face slowly back toward me.

"Well, look who it is, Broken Prince. It is your lady, and she is just in time for breakfast." The disgusting creature before me said as he backed slightly away from his glass, and then nodded slowly in the opposite direction. His thinly veiled threat caused me to want to slice him open and painfully remove all of his organs while he helplessly watched, but I quickly remembered that there was a much more important task still left at hand. Just as the details of my plan quickly once again invaded my mind after I pushed my murderous thoughts toward the beastly prisoner out, the vision of sweet Seraphina suddenly illuminated the outside of my cage as she slowly stepped close enough for me to actually be able to clearly see her alluring frame. The young girl conversed slightly nervously with her friend Volstagg for a few moments while she fidgeted uneasily in front of my view, and once again without even noticing, she completely distracted my once strategically organized mind.

The beautiful young servant that my mother had sent to me just a few days before was standing only just a few feet away from my grasp, but with the thick restrictive wall of my cage that stood so obtrusively between us, it felt as if the distance should have been measured in miles. Seraphina's long dark caramel colored hair hung down her slender back in an extensive thick braid that had just a few waves escaping from the meticulously threaded weave, and her cheeks were donned with the same color of rose that matched the fullness of her lips almost exactly. The soft green of Seraphina's eyes seemed brighter today as her nerves obviously appeared to be completely on edge, and the anxious way that she looked back toward me every few seconds made her appear as if she was a young girl who had just met a new boy at school. However, it wasn't the beauty of her face or the innocence of her eyes that drew Seraphina's appearance as close to my attention as it suddenly was that day, but instead, it was the color of the gown that she wore as she stood still mindlessly conversing with her friend. Nearly every other day that I had seen her, Seraphina had worn the feminine colors of rose and red, but today she appeared to have made a very different choice when it had come to attending to her appearance. The long thin gown that she wore this morning was deep emerald green in its color, and it was edged with a bright gold that accented her skin in the most delicious way. Her gown matched my armor nearly exactly, and the strange feeling that her choice in attire caused to move over me, well it shook me more than just slightly.

After a few moments of becoming lost in the woman standing before me, I finally shook myself from my foolish nonsense, and returned my mind to the task at hand. I watched carefully as Seraphina talked with her friend and occasionally looked back at me as if she did not know what to do, and then I studied where exactly all the guards that were in attendance currently were stationed. I took note of where exactly everyone was and what exactly they were all doing, and then finally I released a breath just as I leaned back against the cold stone wall of my cage. Carefully, I then lifted my eyes up to the hideous beast that was watching Seraphina intently, and then I lifted one of my hands just slightly beneath my cuffs. Then, I pushed a small amount of the magic that I could conjer from deep inside of me out of my fingertips, and a few seconds later, I heard the monster in the cage across from me begin to scream in mind shattering pain. _And quite rightly so, I had just nearly fried his worthless brain._

"What madness is…?" The Warrior Volstagg suddenly asked as he turned abruptly away from Seraphina, and toward the monster's cage who had just made the blood curdling scream. Seraphina appeared to become even more anxious as she slowly turned back toward me, and after a nod from my head, she then swiftly turned back to her work left at hand.

Watching innocent minds attempt to do devious things was something that I had always taken pleasure in, but none of my previous manipulations had ever quite pleased me this much. As I watched Seraphina quickly move toward the massive back of the warrior that was attempting to figure out what exactly had just happened, I reveled in the nervousness that due to our newfound connection, I actually physically now felt. Anxiety, fear, and thousands of worries coursed through the young girl's brain as I watched her fumble nervously toward the keys that hung loosely on her friend's belt, but all of her uncertainties paled in comparison to one single sensation that she so intensely felt. I smiled as felt the rush of adrenaline begin to move faster deep inside of Seraphina and in turn, deep inside of myself. The thrill of misbehaving was exciting her, and her excitement, honestly thrilled me.

After a few moments of commotion that in turn allowed Seraphina to unknowingly remove the one key that I needed from the idiot warrior's belt, I finally ended my torture to the massive beast before me, and even soothed him slightly until he nearly fell asleep. After another few moments of the guards talking amongst themselves about the strange behavior that they had just witnessed, the warrior finally moved closer toward the door of my cage, and motioned Seraphina to follow him. I swallowed thickly as I watched her shake just slightly behind him, and then I found myself unusually holding my breath as she then carefully eventually stepped inside. There were a few very silent moments that hung in the air between me and the sweet girl who I knew was risking everything in order to aide me, and then finally Seraphina eventually gained the courage to speak.

"I apologize for my tardiness, My Lord. My family and I had an unusually lengthy breakfast this morning." Seraphina said as she took a single step closer toward me, and then halted in her movements once again. I smiled beneath my mask as I nodded toward the girl who so carefully watched me, and then I leaned back more heavily against the cold wall behind me. _I had to admit, I was truly beginning to like her._

"I have brought you more food from the palace that the guards have assured me that you will receive as soon as I take my leave. Is there anything else that I can do for you this morning? I brought you a book that your mother thought that you would like to read. Would you like me to bring it to you?" Seraphina asked in her usual formal candor as she took another step toward me, and then widened her eyes just slightly as I noticed that The Warrior Volstagg was still standing just outside of my thick glass cell door. I nodded slowly noting her hesitance and worry, and then motioned toward her with my bound hands. _This girl was smart, I appreciated that in a newly aspiring villan. _

It took only a few seconds and suddenly I found sweet Seraphina knelt at my side, and holding a leather bound book carefully in her shaking hands. She stared at me with concern and confusion flooding her emerald eyes, but the excitement that coursed through her thoughts reassured me that she wasn't exactly being one hundred percent forced to complete the actions that she was currently doing. I nodded carefully toward Seraphina as I slowly slid the book out from between her tightly clamped hands, and then I very slowly opened to the very first slightly worn parchment paper pages. There, lying neatly in front of me was the key that would release me from my torment, and cause the chaos that I needed to ensue in order to release me from my shackles that I so desperately hated. So, after a few moments of reveling in the vision that was the key that I had wanted for what seemed like longer than I could possibly imagine, I finally forced myself into action. With the flick of my wrist I dropped my veil of magic over my cage so that they guards saw the vision of Seraphina and I that they would be comfortable seeing, and the second that I was certain that it was firmly in its place, I grabbed the key tightly in my hands and turned it toward Seraphina.

"Are you certain they cannot see us?" Seraphina suddenly asked nervously as she accepted the key shakily and then began searching my mask for a place to put it as I quickly nodded my head. But, Seraphina could not find a lock in which to put the key, because of course there wasn't one.

"My Lord…" Seraphina stuttered as she continued searching, but then she eventually met my eyes just after she had quickly realized that her searching was completely fruitless in its effort. Slowly, I looked at her and then lifted my hands toward her displaying my silver cuffs. Seraphina quickly shook my head.

"My Lord, I told you that I…" She started, but I did not have time for her idiotic views on morality when I was dealing with incredibly limited time.

_Unlock my cuffs, Seraphina. Be a good girl, and unlock my cuffs._ I whispered in as even of a tone as I could muster inside of the confines of her mind as I stared at her intently and slowly nodded my head as if to signify that this was perfectly alright. Seraphina quickly shook her head once again as she stared back at me with a sudden look of fear plaguing her face.

"No, My Lord, I am sorry but I can't." She whispered as her heart began pounding so hard that I could hear it inside of her mind, and I could feel it in every single one of my rushing veins. _That was odd._

_Seraphina…_ I said in a slightly more urgent tone inside of the young girl's mind, but she once again shook her head.

"I can't…" She whispered as fear quickly moved more intensely through her. Time for playing games was done. I was getting out of this cage, and I was getting out now.

_Seraphina unlock my cuffs right this instant or I will drop this veil that protects us and reveal what it is that you are doing to the guards. I do not wish you any harm, Sweet Girl, but you will do as you are told or you will suffer the consequences. _I ordered harshly as I felt my anger begin to quickly over take me, and my desire for freedom begin to completely consume my desperate mind. Seraphina's eyes widened in my direction as thoughts of betrayal and sadness began to run rampant in her mind, but eventually, she finally gave in to my pressure. With shaking hands, and tears in her eyes I watched as Seraphina slowly slid the small silver key into the lock on my painfully tight cuffs, and within seconds I felt their intense pressure release. For months, I had not felt such bliss as that of what I felt in that moment, but revelry would have to be saved for a later time. I had far more important things to do.

Before I realized exactly what I was doing, I dropped my cuffs down to the cold stone floor beneath me, and then reached my suddenly free hands around to the back of my head. I tore the mask that I wore into three different pieces as my rage began to hungrily consume me, and then within seconds I had broken the remainder of the chains that had been attached to my feet into tiny metal bits that lay scattered on the floor. Seraphina watched in what appeared to be a mixture between horror and awe as I freed myself in a matter of minutes, and then she unsteadily found her way to her feet just after I had.

"In about two minutes you are going to need to run as fast as your legs can carry you as far away from this place as you can manage. Do you understand me, Seraphina?" I asked in a slightly sterner tone as I felt the power of my magic beginning to surge more strongly inside of me now that I wasn't so barbarically restrained, and the clarity of my mind once again firmly take its rightful place. Seraphina nodded her head as she took a step back away from me, and then she swallowed very thickly inside of her throat.

_If he wants me to run, at least that means that now that I have done what he asked he isn't just going to kill me._ Seraphina thought to herself as she nodded once again without me talking and then took yet another very careful step back. I narrowed my eyes at her as I found it strange that her view of me had seemed to change so quickly from this morning when I had been playing around jokingly inside of her head, but I assumed that my idle threat from earlier most likely had been the culprit that was to blame. _A task needed to be completed, and fear was a very dependable tactic to ensure that it got done. Honestly, it was as simple as that._

"Why in two minutes, My Lord? Why not now?" Seraphina asked as I could feel her fear beginning to more intensely wash over her, and her concern for her own safety begin to immediately rise. I smiled slightly wickedly as I released a deep breath and then I quickly decided that it was time to finish the rest of my plan.

"Because I am not yet quite finished with you." I answered and with that I quickly dropped my veil of magic, and revealed Seraphina and myself to the guards and prisoners that stood just outside of my cage's walls. The face of every single guard that was near by shifted immediately to a state of complete panic as they cast their gaze upon me suddenly standing before them without chains or my silver mask, and the monster in the cage across from me jumped to his feet suddenly filled with rage the second his eyes took hold of me.

"You deviant trickster!" The monster seethed as he slammed his fists animalistically against his cell walls. I smiled as I lifted my hands into the air displaying my freedom before him, and then turned back toward Seraphina who had been inching her way silently closer toward my cell's door even since I shifted my view. _I think both Seraphina and my little beastly pet needed just a little bit more motivation._

"Seraphina, wait." I said in a low slow voice that I knew would halt my sweet girl's motions, and just as I had imagined, it immediately did.

"Yes, My Lord?" Seraphina asked as she lifted her emerald colored stare slowly up to my eyes, and then she twisted her hands anxiously in front of her body just as I heard the bolts on my cage beginning to carefully slip out of place. _I caused the locks to stick just a bit in order to allow myself just a little bit more time._

And while I did have more time, I decided that I should most likely make it worth my while. So, as the guards fumbled foolishly with the locks that enclosed my cell and the monster across from me pounded violently against his cage walls, I moved swiftly across the distance that Seraphina had so recently put between us, and I slid my hand tightly behind the back of her head. Without another word or any further hesitation, I brought Seraphina's mouth roughly up against my lips and I kissed her more intensely than anything that I was certain that she had ever felt before. I pushed my tongue forcefully into her mouth as I slid my thumb just under the swell of her full bottom lip and I pushed down hard until her mouth opened even wider in surrender to me. Hunger flooded into Seraphina's mind as she kissed me back passionately in a way that I had honestly never before felt either, and her sweet taste danced over my lips as I continued to greedily drink her in. Seraphina moaned against my mouth as I finally gained the restraint to pull back away from her, and then carefully her eyes eventually opened once again to meet mine.

"I am in your debt, Sweet Girl. Now run away as fast as you can. Your eyes are not meant to see what horror will happen here today." I said slightly breathlessly as I still held Seraphina's face tightly in my hands. Seraphina nodded slowly as she swallowed thickly and then she carefully licked her slightly swollen lust consumed lips.

_By the gods hands, no one should taste so delicious against my tongue._ Seraphina thought to herself as she ran her tongue over the flesh of her mouth slowly once again, and then released a very unsteady breath. I released a breath as well as I felt two very conflicting hungers inside of me once again begin to dangerously mix.

"I hold no debt of yours, My Lord. Be safe, and please, do only what you need to in order to keep yourself from harm." Seraphina whispered as she looked up at me with innocent eyes and continued to carefully hold my stare. I nodded as I heard the beast in the cage across from mine begin to bang against his cage even harder than he had before, and just as I had anticipated, I finally began to hear the glass before him just slightly begin to crack.

"Go now, Seraphina. Go now, and do not look back." I said as I finally released my hold on Seraphina just as the guards finally burst into my cage, and at the loud noise, Seraphina turned quickly in the opposite direction. The guards barely noticed her as she ran quickly behind their backs and out of my cell door, but they did notice me of course, which is what they immediately decided to attend to.

The next seemingly endless moments were filled with tortured screams and the blood of men who had spilled my own more than just a handful of times. I did not kill every guard within the prison walls that day as I honestly wanted to, and I also did not unnecessarily torture those who had once so cruelly done so to me. Instead, I severely wounded all of the guards that dared to come near me, and I rendered them all unable to continue fighting as soon as I had honestly tired of the childish feeling game. Shortly thereafter I wiped the blood that suddenly covered my large hands away from my skin, and then I stepped out of my cage and into the hallway that would lead me back into the realm that had shunned me just a few months before. As I moved I noticed that the beast that had taunted me had escaped from his cage just as I had, and that he was now viciously fighting a guard who was giving him an awful good show. I wanted to move passed him, and simply go about my day, but pride was funny thing especially in a man such as me. So, instead of walking casually by and simply ignoring him, I retrieved a sword that one of the guard's still had hanging at their side, and I shoved it deeply into the heart of the beast before me as I watched as blood spilled violently from his gaping wound. I twisted the blade just slightly until I heard his screams fill the hall all around me, and then I removed the sharpened weapon from his chest as unpleasantly as I possibly could. I then dropped the sword down to my feet as I watched the guard that stood beside me begin to cower away in what appeared to be terror, and then I released a much needed breath into the thick early morning dungeon air.

"I am no bastard prince, you hideous beast. But, in a very short amount of time, I shall be your righteous king." I seethed as I stared down at the massive disgusting body still twitching beneath me, and then slowly I began to finally take my leave. I had a lot to accomplish in order to return to my rightful place on Asgard's throne, and my first task that sat waiting in my hands, was that of handling the most glorious King Odin. It had come time for someone to pay penance for enclosing me in the cage in which I had sat for the past few months, and who better to afford that cost, than the very man who had put me there himself?


End file.
